


Camp

by drxpdead



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Accidental Sleeping In The Same Bed, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bisexual!Dan, Dan is scared of the dark, Dan turns 18, Dan's parents are a little bit asshole-ish, Fires, Fluff, Ghost Stories, M/M, Nickjonascameobutnotreally, Pansexual!Phil, Pining, Pranks, Rumors of Dan's Promiscuity, Skinny Dipping, Slow Burn, Slow Updates, Sports, Summer Camp, SweatyBoys, Swimming, Will add tags as updated, but they're not really in school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:25:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9674858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drxpdead/pseuds/drxpdead
Summary: Camp Overfell is a two month long escape from the troubling teenage life. At least, that's what the website says.For Dan Howell, it's nothing but an excuse for his parents to get rid of him for the summer, and rightly so. Okay, so maybe he fucks up sometimes. He didn't mean to set the classroom on fire, he was just trying to liven up the coma-inducing lesson. Long story short, he doesn't want to be here.But he is, and dealing with it isn't easy. Three roommates, one bathroom and constant adult supervision? Not his idea of an 'escape'.What he needs is fun, and maybe his eccentric bunk mates can help with that.





	1. 1-1.Adventures in Pyromania (Minus the Fireworks)

This wasn't good. Shit, this wasn't good at all. What was he thinking, how could this have possibly been a valid thought in his mind at all. 

"Suspended, during the last week of school?" His mum was an unstoppable whirlwind of anger, pacing the kitchen at an alarming rate. "How does that even happen?"

He looked up from the tabletop curiously. "They didn't tell you?"

"Jeez, of course they told me," she muttered, palming her forehead as if she had a headache. Okay, more than likely she did, and because of him. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. How do you even set a classroom on fire?"

"It wasn't my fault." If that didn't sound desperately fake, he didn't know what was. "It was an accident, the burner just...I hit it with my elbow and it flipped over and..." The unconvinced look was enough to make him sigh and give up. "I really didn't mean to."

She seemed to deflate slightly at his sincere tone, crossing her arms. "I'm sure you didn't, but this isn't something we can just let go."

Of course not, he'd already known that. Getting kicked out of classes a week earlier than expected, damaging school property and his parents having to pay for half the crime; there was no getting off easy on that one. "Yeah, I understand. You want my phone and my laptop?"

Because that was the usual deal: take away the things he was most attached to, sometimes with the added exception of cleaning the entire house or just cutting off the wifi entirely, which was much more torturous in his opinion. That's what he was expecting. He could handle that. 

His mum just stood there, though, a pensive look on her face that made Dan worried. God, was she thinking of some new and more effective way to punish him? His heart sank in his chest at the prospect. 

"Actually, I have a different idea." And shit, yeah, that definitely wasn't good. 

She left the kitchen, and Dan had the chilling feeling akin to being put on death row. Which was highly over reactive, he knew, but he blamed his vivid imagination.  She returned a minute later, carrying her laptop and setting it down in front of him hesitantly. The bold, bright yellow lettering actually made him squint, and he barely made out the top section of type; 'Camp Overfell'

"What the hell is this?" He questioned, proud that he managed not to vomit as he scrolled through the website. It was full of pictures of overly happy teenagers, all wearing shorts and T-shirts and giant smiles full of teeth. They looked like they were being held at gunpoint.  

"A camp, for kids your age," she explained, sitting next to him and watching the screen as well. "It lasts the whole summer, and it's gotten a lot of great reviews, it's supposed to be a really great place."

Troublesome teens need a break from their lives? Camp Overfell is a friendly   
and fun place for teens between  
fourteen and eighteen years old, full   
of fun activities and calming   
exercises that will guarantee a   
relaxed summer! 

His stomach was twisting just reading it. "What's this got to do with me, then?"

"Your father and I think it would be a good idea for you to go--"

"What? No," he was quick to immediately dismiss the idea. "Mum, this place is for people in straight jackets, or who are into public humiliation or something. Not me."

She sighed, a tired sound that made Dan instantly feel guilty. "It may seem a bit washed up, but I think it could really be good for you."

"That's bullsh--" he cut himself, he was already in enough trouble. "Two months in this place? I can't do that, I have...friends here, and things to do. I can't just leave, and especially not to this death trap."

"Well, you haven't got a choice," she said firmly, a tone that left no room for arguing. "It's either here, or get a job."

"I already have a job."

"Spending ten hours a month helping your father clean the garage and getting paid for it is not a job, Daniel."

"So not fair," he scowled, fixing his gaze back to the computer with a grimace. More yellow text and more cringe worthy pictures and more reasons to just run away in the middle of the night. "I don't want to waste my summer here."

She patted his shoulder sympathetically and gave a pitting smile. "Should have thought about that before setting your classroom on fire."

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

And so for next week, he spent more time than usual searching the web for every detail about the place. There really were great reviews, but the 'glowing' kind, with lots of exclamation points and emojis that convinced him no more than his mother had. It seemed too childish for his taste.

Registration ended four days from now, but it felt like he had no time at all. 

***

"Summer camp? You're fucking with me, right?"

Dan shook his head and kept his eyes on his shoes. Chris flicked the cigarette he was holding, letting a few still burning embers fall to the dry ground of the alleyway they were occupying. There was a group of their other friends not too far away, but they'd long since separated themselves. He'd come to say goodbye. 

"That's complete and utter bullshit," Chris continued, taking another drag and letting smoke unfurl from his mouth. "They're just trying to find a way to get you off their backs, you know. Selfish parent move, if you ask me."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Dan muttered darkly. He really hoped he didn't smell like ashes when they came for him, they'd probably make him stay in that godforsaken camp longer than planned. "Just wish they'd understand my side of things for once."

Chris hummed in agreement and smirked at him. "So. How's the life of being an arsonist?"

"It wasn't fucking arson." Dan frowned. Was no one listening to him? "Yeah, I started it, but it wasn't supposed to catch on the curtains. Who puts fucking curtains in a chemistry lab anyway? That's just bad safety method."

He ignored Chris's laughter, getting more and more irritated the longer he stood here. If they were gonna do nothing but tease him about what had happened, then he didn't see the point of wasting his time there. But he didn't have anywhere else to go, and he had approximately twenty minutes before his parents were coming to get him and drive him to....he couldn't even think it. 

"Hey," Chris said with a shrug, "I'll bet there are a lot of hot guys, though. Hot, shirtless guys. Possibly wet or sweaty. Ooh, hot, shirtless, wet-slash-sweaty older counselor guys. That would be fun."

Dan shoved an elbow into his ribs with a laugh. "I'm not perpetually horny like you, sorry."

"Shame." Chris shook his head in mock disappointment and wrapped his lips around the cigarette. "We could have a real and proper goodbye, like real and proper friends."

"I don't think goodbye sex is in the handbook of friendship."

"Tell that to PJ," he said with a wink, pointing towards the only other person Dan considered himself close to, a curly haired kid with glasses and sneakers so beat up, he had to use duct tape to keep the soles in place. "Last month, when he left to America for that trip or whatever? Spent the whole weekend together, never left the bed. I think I have pictures."

"God, shut up." Dan shoved him away before he could pull out his phone. "You're honestly the most disgusting person I know."

Chris bowed dramatically. "Greatly honored by that, really, it means a lot."

Him and Chris had met last year, two guys who didn't run in any particular social circles. So they'd joined the small band of outcasts, the ones who wore too much black and did questionable things with their free time. They didn't know each other well, and probably never would have if Chris hadn't punched that guy in the face for tossing Dan's lunch tray all over him. They'd ended up in detention together and had been friends since, and Chris would swear he still had the bruised knuckles to prove it. 

"You know I love you," Dan said, only half joking, but almost immediately regretted it when Chris pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He was totally gonna smell like smoke now. "Okay, fuck, get off of me, that's enough sentiment for the year, I think."

Chris grasped his shoulders. "I think that's quite possibly the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Dan Howell."

"Yeah, and the last time, too," Dan shoved his hands away and started walking out to the street, where he'd said he would meet his parents. "Have a great fucking summer."

"Won't be fun without you, boo."

It was already staring to get warm, too warm for his normal wardrobe of black on black layers, and it only caused him more trouble. He would have to buy new clothes if he was going to be out in the sun everyday like this. The thought alone made his face twist into a scowl, and by the time his parents pulled up, his mood had darkened considerably. He wanted to stay here. 

"Have you been...smoking?" His mum asked from the passenger seat when he climbed inside, her nose wrinkled against the obvious smell. 

"What? No," he said as casually as possible. He'd tried it once last year, and immediately given up on it after practically coughing up a lung. That didn't mean he was going to sell Chris out for it, even to save his own neck. "Walked past a group of kids who were, sorry."

They definitely didn't believe him, but decided to leave it alone, for which he was eternally grateful. The silence that permeated the car after that was peaceful after the hectic week he'd had so far. He sulked in his bad mood for a while, and eventually fell into an uncomfortable sleep, leaning against the door awkwardly. 

A two-hour drive to the middle of fucking nowhere, he wasn't going to be conscious for that. 

***

It was so much worse than he'd imagined. 

"Actually," he said, dropping the two bags he was carrying to the ground, uncaring of the dirt that was going to get all over them. "How about I just go and stand in the middle of the road, and you guys can floor it? I think that's more reasonable than this."

"Lighten up," his father said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. He was a tall man, almost seven feet at this point, and Dan was getting close to that himself. The difference was, his dad was built with muscle and Dan was just skin and bones. "By the end of the summer, I'm sure you won't want to leave."

"I seriously doubt that."

His mum came around then and picked up one of the bags. "Okay, enough death glaring, Dan. We'll go get you registered, and you can go check the place out if you want. Meet back here in an hour, and we'll give you all the information, yeah?" At least he wouldn't have to sit through that boring ass seminar, then. 

"Fine," he muttered darkly and sulked away, dragging his shoes through the dirt as noticeably as possible, so they would know he didn't want to be here. 

There weren't many other people here, and it either meant that the camp wasn't as popular as it seemed online and nobody would actually be here, or they just hadn't all arrived yet. He was hoping for the first option, praying for it actually. 

It was big, that was for sure. An entire five-acre land plot with twenty cabins on each side of the wide lake, one side for boys and the other for girls. There was also a pool, for those pretentious kids who claimed they couldn't possibly swim in such a dirty lake. A rec room full of games and activities, but no wifi; a mess hall that could hold seven hundred kids, and bathrooms near the edge of the cabins. And surrounding the whole thing, a scarce forest with trees that towered over the place almost sinisterly. Him and trees didn't get along so well. Actually, most all of nature in general wasn't his thing, but trees were an entirely different and creepy species of their own. 

He was going to walk around the lake, try to avoid falling in as best as possible, when a rustling noise from the forest interrupted. His first irrational thought was that there were definitely fucking monsters in there ready to claim his soul. But he looked closer and saw it was just another kid, sitting high up in the branches and drinking from what was clearly not a soda bottle. 

"Are you getting drunk in a tree?" He said loudly, laughing as the kid nearly fell, muttering curses and glaring down at Dan viciously 

"Jesus fuck, I thought you were Heidi," the kid, a guy, said in relief. He started climbing down, and Dan panicked, his usually stoic and asocial nature telling him to run for it; jeez, he hadn't been looking for a conversation here. But the guy dropped to the ground and grinned at Dan widely, still clutching the clear bottle in one hand. "New here, huh?"

Dan crossed his arms defensively. "Maybe. Why?"

"You've got that fresh faced, 'life is unfair and I don't want to be here' look about you," he said amiably, then stuck his hand in Dan's face. "I'm Finn, three consecutive year camper here at Overfell."

"Sounds morbid," Dan said, but shook his hand anyway. "Dan, and I'm here against my will, so I think the whole 'life is unfair' bit is a good fit for me." Finn shook his head and laughed. "Don't you think drinking in a tree is a bit of a safety hazard?"

"Only place I can do it," Finn said with a sigh. "The downside to coming here every year is having to bring my older, much more responsible sister with me, and she's like a fucking bloodhound, I swear, I can't do anything fun with her around."

Well, he could understand that much. "Better than having your parents force you here just to get away from you for a whole two months."

"Ooh, that's a low blow." Finn winced. "It's honestly not that bad here, the counselors are pretty chill about most things, but curfew is at eleven and you don't want to get caught breaking that rule, trust me. And no nude swimming, not really a rule more a warning, your balls will probably wither into nothing."

"And alcohol?" Dan asked with a smirk, and Finn rolled his eyes. 

"You're not gonna tell on me, are you?"

"Not if you share." He didn't smoke, but drinking wasn't completely off the table. Finn raised an eyebrow and gave him a pleased look. 

"Deal."


	2. 1 -2.Making New Friends and Trying Not to Forget the Old Ones

He was in cabin number eight, and by an extreme stroke of luck, so was Finn. The hour they'd spent together had built a bond between them that Dan usually avoided with other people. Of course, it was probably just the alcohol in his system, making his judgement a bit hazy. But Finn was fun. 

There were four campers to a cabin, and Finn had told him, unfortunately, that most campers didn't arrive until the next day, so his theory about having the camp hopefully empty was shattered. Two other guys he'd have to spend more time than necessary with, what more could he ask for. 

"This is gonna be good for you, I'm sure of it," his mum said, repeating the same mantra from last week as she hugged him goodbye. "We'll see you at the end of August, and we'll come visit on your birthday and everything." His eighteenth birthday, and he'd be stuck in exile here. 

"Okay," he said; he'd just come to accept his fate as quietly and non-dramatically as possible. It was better that way. "See you then."

They both hugged him, longer and more uncomfortably than anytime before, then climbed in their car and drove off. He watched until the tail lights were nothing but red pinpoints in the distance.

It was a lot darker than before, the sky a dusky purple that would be pretty if he could focus long enough on it. He was exhausted, weirdly enough; his sleep schedule was so fucked at this point, he'd be surprised if he ever managed to knock anytime before midnight. 

"So it's just us tonight, I'm afraid," Finn said when he stepped into their cabin. "But at least we can whisper all our secrets to each other." Dan rolled his eyes and moved to start unpacking. Better do it now, because he wouldn't have the motivation to do it later. 

The cabins were a lot nicer than he'd been imagining, no dirty floors or bunk beds or screen windows. The walls were a dark blue and the sheets were clean; there was definitely enough room to house four people, but it didn't seem like it would be a very comfortable fit, if they were all gonna be the same size as Dan and Finn. 

"How come people wait until the next day to show up?" Dan asked, stuffing his clothes into one of the small dressers by the door; he was sharing with Finn. "I mean, doesn't registration end today?"

"Technically, yes," Finn said in a bored voice. "But those kids have been going here so long, they can bend the rules a little. Totally unfair, I think, complete nepotism, but that's life, yeah?"

"God," Dan looked over at him with a smirk, "you're not gonna be one of those insufferable hipsters, are you? Complaining about life and death and the stars every night?" 

He ducked as Finn threw a pillow at him, laughing. "Shut the fuck up, you prick. It's called being educated, on real life matters."

"And annoying." Dan threw the pillow back at him. "You have any idea who our other two roommates will be?" 

"Not a clue." Great. He hated going into things blindly, even if it eventually wouldn't matter. "I'm sure we'll get to know them at the bonfire tomorrow night, though."

"Bonfire?" Just what he needed, more fire. Exactly the reason he was here in the first place. 

"Yep, simultaneously the best and worst part of the whole Camp Overfell experience." Finn waved his arms dramatically. "You've got your booze and they usually play good music, but there's just something so irritating about sitting in a group of people your own age, like you're all best friends."

Dan stood and moved to his bed, the one closest to the door. Not that it would mean anything, if some crazy axe murderer burst through it and blocked his exit. "Then why should we go?"

"Mandatory." Possibly the worst word in existence. "As long as you frown a lot and keep your shoulders hunched, people shouldn't bother you that much."

"Finally, something I'm good at."

Finn laughed and turned into his side so his back was facing Dan. "Never thought I'd say this at ten p.m., but goodnight, I'm fucking wiped out."

"Night," Dan said, laying out across his own bed. The day had been long and stressful, transitioning into this hellhole, and he was sure that the next day wouldn't be any better. But he'd be more prepared. Finn seemed like a substantial guide to the ins and outs of this place. 

He shut off the light and climbed under the covers, and despite the constant noise of the millions of disgusting insects that seemed to live right outside the door, eventually fell asleep. 

***

The door burst open and slammed against the wall, and Dan jolted awake, ready to bolt from whatever threat was accosting them at such an early hour. Seriously, the sun wasn't even completely up yet. 

But it was just two teenage boys, laughing at their reactions and making as much noise as possible. Finn looked just as angry and sleep deprived as he felt across the room. 

"Sorry," one of the strangers said in the most unapologetic tone ever. "Didn't think you'd still be asleep."

"Oh, fuck you, Livens," Finn said, but his cutthroat attitude was interrupted by a large yawn. The guy who'd spoken, a blonde and muscular kid, laughed again and set his bags on the floor next to one of the two remains beds. 

"Got a newbie this year?" He said, and Dan realized they were talking about him. Awesome, more social interaction. Where was death when he needed it? "I'm Emery, eighteen, Sagittarius." He stuck out his hand with a broad smile, and Dan stared back at him blankly, not moving. "Alright, then."

The other guy, a tall and lanky teenager with dark hair, hadn't said anything at all since arriving, had only moved to start unpacking. Dan noticed he'd brought his own blanket and pillows. Smart move, actually. 

"And that loner over there is Phil, the emo of the camp," Emery provided happily, ignoring the middle finger he received in return. "He doesn't talk much, but you'll find that's best; definitely a weird one."

"This is why you have no friends, Em," Phil said darkly, shoving his bags under the bed and walking past him out of the door again. 

"He's lying, I do have friends."

"Nice to know," Dan said. He realized Finn had fallen asleep again, snoring loudly; there was no way he could go back to sleep now, he was too alert and wound up. "What time is it?"

Emery was undressing, pulling on pajama bottoms and an old T-shirt. "Almost seven; breakfast doesn't start for another hour and a half, so I'm gonna catch some Z's while I can. Nice meeting you."

Dan mumbled in reply and untangled himself clumsily from the bed sheets. 

He was less than reluctant to try out the showers here, but was either that or bathe in the lake, and he was certain that would be frowned upon. Not that he wouldn't have minded being sent home right now; his parents probably wouldn't be so happy. 

It was medium sized room with about twenty stalls on each side. It looked clean enough, but Dan still watched his step across the linoleum floor.

It was possibly the quickest shower he'd ever taken, barely washing himself in an attempt to get out as soon as he could. It was still early, but he was paranoid that other people would start arriving at any moment, and he wasn't very fond of showing off his body just yet. All the other guys he'd seen so far had been much more filled out, and his skinny arms looked like a joke in comparison. 

He stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, and nearly ran into Phil, the quiet and nearly hostile cabin mate from before. 

"Oh shit, sorry," he said, taking a step back out of his personal space. "I didn't know anyone else was in here." He noted happily that Phil was just as skinny as himself, but also unhappily, that it looked better on him. He was attractive. 

"Obviously." The angry word snapped Dan out of his runaway thoughts, and he looked back up from Phil's chest to his face, and the bored look he was wearing. What the hell was his problem? 

Phil pushed past him and left, slamming the door shut as he went and leaving Dan staring after him in shock and agitation. 

His first day here, and he was already making enemies. 

***

Emery was actually a pretty cool guy, once you got to know him; he talked a lot and told a lot of horrible jokes, but he did liven up the dead atmosphere. A little. He was toeing the between fun and obnoxious. 

"So, why did you decide to grace the great Overfell with your presence?" He was sprawled out across the grass, shirtless and claiming to be 'working on his tan'. And okay, maybe Dan snuck a couple of glances at his very well-defined stomach, towards the sharp angle of his hips where his shorts sat low on his waist. A hormonal teenage boy surrounded by other fit boys, you couldn't expect him to keep his eyes to himself.

"I didn't come here of my own free will, trust me," he said, stretching his legs out across the ground. It was the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was beating down on him like a goddamn oven, but it still wasn't enough to make him change out of his jeans and black shirt. "There were some...complications back home. And my parents thought going to this wholesome family camp would help straighten me out."

"Ah, so we have a criminal in our midst."

"Why does your immediate conclusion jump to 'criminal'?"

"Leave him alone, Em," Finn spoke up from the doorway of their cabin. He was dressed pretty much the same as Emery, except with a towel around his neck. "Let him keep his deep dark secrets."

Dan bit his lip. God, they weren't deep or dark, nowhere near it. He'd known these guys for all of a day, was it a crime not wanting to open up to them completely? Plus, Phil was sitting close by as well, and he'd already managed to make him angry once today; something about the guy made Dan hesitant about everything he did, like it would be the wrong thing and he would get mad again. A stupid thought to have, but it was there. 

"The bonfire's gonna start in an hour," Finn continued, thankfully switching topics and crossing his legs as he sat down next to Dan, leaning back on his hands. 

"An hour?" Dan asked in confusion; it was barely five o'clock. "Don't you think it's a bit early to be starting fires?"

All three of them gave him weird glances before seeming to remember he was the only one who hadn't been going here for years, and therefore wouldn't know anything about this place. Or how they did things. 

"Well, the actual bonfire doesn't start until about eight, or until it gets dark, whichever comes first," Finn explained patiently. "They like to do this whole pre-blaze party, let the new campers get used to everyone and everything. It's sort of lame, but everyone will be there."

"You have to be there," Emery picked up, eyes still closed. "Otherwise they'll come looking for you and make you jump in the lake naked."

Dan gave him a sharp look. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." He was grinning widely, and pointed over at Phil. "Just ask him."

Phil gave him a look that told him to do anything but ask him, and Dan backed off. "Seems kind of cruel, don't you think?"

"It's hilarious to watch, not to take part in," Finn said. "No matter how hot it gets, the lake is always freezing, and tramping through it in your birthday suit is less than ideal, I've already told you that, right?" And yeah, he had. 

So an hour later, he was following them across the camp grounds, towards a large clear area already filled with too many kids. He hadn't seen much of the camp itself, and had only met his three cabin mates so far, and the number of people that were gathered in that one space, plus the steady stream of them that were still arriving, was enough to make him hunch into himself. It was like school, but outside and with more chances to humiliate himself. 

"That's my sister over there," Finn said to him, pointing to a tall brunette wearing a bikini top and a pair of shorts that didn't leave much to the imagination. Pretty much all the girls were dressed this way, but Dan wasn't as interested as most of the other guys, for more reasons than one. Emery had already gone to socialize.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Dan nodded towards Phil, who'd also left to go and stand by one of the long tables on the outer edge of the clearing. "What's up with him? Phil."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's a bit rude, yeah?" Dan shook his head. "I just-- I ran into him earlier, in the showers, and...god, maybe I'm freaking out over nothing. Just seems like he doesn't like me much."

"He barely knows you, he can't already hate you," Finn said disbelievingly. "Maybe he's just in a bad mood or something. You should go talk to him."

"I feel like that would piss him off even more."

"Well, have fun standing over here like a loner, than, I'm gonna go see what these guys are up to," Finn said happily, giving him a quick wave before jogging of towards a group of campers engaged in some sort of drinking game he'd never seen before. He had a lot to learn, apparently. 

Maybe he should go talk to him. They had gotten off on the wrong foot, and though Dan didn't normally care about what others thought of him, this was different. This guy didn't even have a valid reason for being such an asshole to him, they didn't know each other at all. And it was new, having someone be so abrasive to him directly to his face; he was used to people talking behind his back, this was different. 

And he was starting to get strange looks from people passing by. So he gathered the small amount of sociability he had left and made his way towards the table. 

"Hey," he said quickly, looking down at the tabletop as he stopped in front of Phil. There was a container full of ice and drinks, cans of soda, and he grabbed one so he'd have something to do with his hands beside fumble. 

Phil stared at him curiously for a long moment before accepting his presence. "Hi." Only the third thing Dan had heard him say since this morning, and he still managed to sound entirely indifferent. He had a nice voice though, which wasn't a weird thing to notice, was it? A lot of people had nice voices. "I guess I should apologize."

Ah, so he had realized he was being an asshole. "What for?" Dan asked, feigning ignorance, but Phil smiled at him like he didn't buy it. 

"I know I was being a dick earlier, and I'm sorry," he said sincerely, grabbing his own drink and taking a sip from it. "I wasn't in the greatest of moods. Some stuff came up, and I had to leave before I could deal with it, and...I took it out on you. Well, on most everyone I've talked to today, but you especially."

Dan nodded; he could understand that. "It's fine, I guess. Just, not the best first impression, you know?"

"I know." He smile down at his hands, his hair sweeping into his face and covering his eyes. "So, your first year here, then. How do you like it so far?"

Dan laughed. "Well, I'll be honest, I'm pretty pessimistic and misanthropic for someone who looks as non-threatening as me," he said, and Phil raised an eyebrow, "but it's not as horrible an experiencing as I was hoping. Not saying I wouldn't rather be home right now....but I can live with it."

"Wow, such a glowing review." Phil shook his head in sarcastic awe. "I've never heard more beautiful words."

"Shut up." Dan rolled his eyes with a smile. "It's only the first day, who knows what'll happen?"

And they talked for hours. He didn't keep track of the time, he just knew the sky was steadily growing darker and the giant crowd that surrounded them was growing more rambunctious, and they never ran out of words to say. People would come up and say hi to Phil, pat him on the back and try and drag him away, but Phil always declined, saying he was in the middle of something, and that made Dan feel mightily important, for some goddamn reason. 

He was like a completely different person than the jerk Dan had run into that morning, and he almost had the sneaking suspicion that he was some kind of more amiable clone. 

"Guess they're starting," Phil said suddenly, looking away to where a group of kids had gathered and were messing with stuff that Dan couldn't see, but a few minutes later, there was a tall fire burning, reaching above the heads of most of the campers around it. 

"I just realized I've never seen an actual bonfire," Dan voiced loudly over the noise of everything. Classroom fires didn't count, did they? 

"Well there you go, then. Not that special, really," Phil said, but Dan was transfixed by the flames; it was pretty ordinary, but the orange and red and white of it was hypnotic in its own way, dancing on its own. "So how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Dan said, tearing his gaze from the light and focusing on Phil again. He had to blink the bright spots from his vision. "I'll be eighteen in a couple weeks, though."

Phil opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when Finn suddenly reappeared in front of them, wearing a devilish smirk and a girls bikini top around the front of his shirt. "Hey, a bunch of us are going into the forest, you guys wanna join?" He held up two cases of beer. "Drinks provided."

"I thought it was mandatory to be here," Dan asked uncertainly. 

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, but they've already taken roll; won't notice if a few of us going missing, as long as we're back by curfew."

It was practically dark out by now, and Dan stared at the trees with a guarded look. He didn't do well with trees, and he absolutely hated them at night. He'd probably have a fucking panic attack in there, or something equally embarrassing. 

"I'm in," Phil said, and turned to give him and expectant smile. "Dan?"

He wouldn't be alone. That would be okay, he supposed, there would be other people there, and no evil spirits would attack him if he wasn't alone. That was a fact. 

"Okay, yeah, sounds good."


	3. 1- 3. Ghost Stories and Sleepless Nights

Alright, maybe it wasn't so good. He'd overestimated himself, and what he could handle, because this-- he could barely handle this. 

"Jesus fucking Christ," he exclaimed, jumping nearly a foot in the air after stepping on a branch that snapped in two under his feet. His heart was racing and he felt like an idiot. "I hate my life."

"You okay?" Phil asked from a few feet ahead of him, and he sounded concerned, but Dan could hear him laughing as well. At him, for sure, who wouldn't laugh at this loser who was scared of twigs. 

"I'm fucking fine, just," he held out his hand, "pass me a beer, I'm not drunk enough for this."

A cold bottle touched his fingertips and he took it gratefully, twisting the top off and taking a long swallow. 

It was completely dark in here; they'd lost the light of the fire about ten steps in, and their stupid small flashlights weren't enough to calm him down. Why has he agree to this, this wasn't his thing at all. 

"Hurry the fuck up, you two!" Finn shouted, him and the rest of the group considerably further away from him and Phil. Emery was there, as well as Finn's sister, Heidi; a few more leggy females and one other guy who did nothing but tell jokes that made them all groan in protest. Dan didn't bother with learning their names. 

"Hey," Phil walked back to him, talking in a quiet voice. His hand wrapped around Dan's wrist comfortingly. "We can go if you want. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

God, that sounded like the best idea ever. They could go back and keep talking, and ignore everyone else around them. That would be nice. But what would the rest of them think? That he was a lame, wuss of a guy that didn't know how to have fun. And maybe he was, but they didn't know that yet.

He shook his head and took another sip. "No, it's fine, just give me a second, yeah?" Phil seemed to pause, but nodded eventually.

He bounced on his feet for a moment, trying to shake the nerves off, like that would actually fucking work. There was nothing that would hurt him there, there wasn't, and even if there was, there were more than enough other people around him that would probably be targeted first; no one wanted the skinny white kid in Vans. 

Phil was still holding his wrist, and he focused on that for a second. "Okay," he said after a while. "Shit, okay, let's go." And they moved to catch up with the others. 

"You'll be fine," Phil muttered encouragingly, slowing his pace to stay by his side. Dan downed the rest of the bottle in his hand and passed it to Phil, who tossed it into a bag he was carrying; no littering in the forest. 

"Where are we even going?" He asked. They'd been walking for a good ten minutes now, and showed no signs of stopping soon. He wasn't a very physical person as it was, and trekking through the trees with no light was not his idea of a good time. 

"Probably to Spencer's Clearing," Phil answered, stepping over a log carefully. "Like, ten years ago, this guy got lost in the forest and ended up finding this old clearing, shouldn't be too far now. Supposedly, he died there, and it's a bit of a ritual, going there the first day of camp."

"This is not the time for ghost stories," Dan said, looking over his shoulder cautiously. It didn't matter if he didn't even fucking believe in ghosts, anything was possible in the dark. 

Phil laughed. "That was not a ghost story. That was a...a fun fact story, sort of."

Dan didn't bother answering, too strung out to argue with him now. He could faintly hear the rest of the group trampling ahead without a care in the world, yelling and joking. He wished he didn't care so much. 

Phil had been right, it wasn't that far. A minute later, they stepped into a circular patch of land, surrounded by tall trees and looking like it hadn't seen life in years; the grass was overgrown and bruised against his knees as he walked towards the center of it. It would probably be a lot more appealing in the daytime, with sunlight streaming through the trees innocently. 

Everyone else had immediately set about partying, passing bottles around and talking, the flashlights tossed to the floor and giving the ground an unearthly look about it. 

"It's actually not that different from the bonfire," Phil told him, watching them idly. "Just, less light and more...opportunities." And Dan didn't even want to guess what that meant. Heterosexuals, and their weird mating rituals, he never understood it. 

"Okay, everyone, gather around," Emery suddenly said, waving his hands wildly to get all of their attentions, and they proceeded to sit in a group on the ground, uncaring of the tall grass that shielded them from view. Dan stared at them in disbelief. 

"Do you know how many fucking bugs could be down there?" He whispered to Phil urgently, who only laughed again and patted his shoulder before joining them. Dan paused for maybe the fifth time that night, and followed suit, a lot more reluctantly. These people were crazy. 

Phil leaned over to him and said, in a low voice, "You're such a city boy."

"Fuck off." So what if he was? He hadn't asked to come here. He suddenly realized that Emery was talking, addressing the lot of them in a serious tone, and elected to ignore Phil's sly smirks. 

"....assume you all already know about the legend of Spencer's Clearing. Except for our newbie, of course. Dan? Raise your hand please." Dan rolled his eyes, but did so, flustered that so many people were paying him any attention. "Think you can handle a little ghost story?"

"This is so old, Em," Phil spoke up, sounding bored. "You dragged us out here to try and scare the new guy?"

"Shut up, Lester. Just because you nearly pissed yourself doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else."

"It's fine," Dan nudged Phil sharply to get him to be quiet. "Do your worst, jackass."

A flashlight flicked on suddenly, illuminating Emery's face in a harsh glow that made him look oddly distorted. "Ten years ago on this very day," he started, slow and quiet, sounding just as stupid and un-creepy as Dan was hoping. "A man by the name of Spencer Green roamed into this forest, unarmed and unaware of the danger that would soon overtake him."

Phil sighed from beside him, obviously unimpressed, but Dan kept his attention up front, wrapping his arms around his drawn up knees.

"He was barely twenty years old, and he'd been dared by his friends to spend a night in the forest alone. He wasn't scared of the dark, so he thought it would be easy.

"But he got horribly lost, and after about an hour, heard some weird noises coming from above him. From the trees."

As if on cue, a sharp snap! echoed from behind them, and Dan had to choke back an embarrassing yelp at the noise. This was so stupid, it wasn't even scary, for gods sake. Maybe he was just a wimp. 

"Don't take it seriously," Phil whispered close to his ear, but there was no way to calm Dan's suddenly racing heart. 

"He got really scared, then, and tried calling his friends to give up on the bet, but there was no service. And the sounds were getting closer, and closer. Until he could swear they were right above him, only a foot from where he was standing."

Another noise from closer behind, and Dan jumped noticeably. 

"No one knows exactly how Spence died, but his remains were found, so shredded and torn apart, they could only ID him from his teeth. But to this day, people swear they can see him in here, looking scared and lost. And sometimes, people are found here....DEAD!"

On the last word, a pair of hands grip Dan's shoulders and shake him roughly, and he couldn't hold back the high pitched screech that left his throat. He swears he's going to die, if not by horrible creature, then by cardiac arrest. 

But everyone else is laughing, including the guy standing behind him, and he blushed fiercely when he realized they'd been messing with him. Except it wasn't funny, not to him or his declining heart rate. 

"God, fuck you guys," he snapped and hastily climbed to his feet; so what he didn't know where the fuck they were, the camp couldn't be too far away. He should have just stayed there in the first place. 

His jittery nerves were doing nothing to help, making him jump at every stupid noise, but he just shook his head and kept going. 

"Wait, Dan." Phil's voice, accompanied by the sound of his footsteps crashing through the forest. Dan ignored him, but a hand gripped his arm an forced him to stop. He turned and glared at Phil, who was breathing heavy. "Shit, wait, okay I know that was a shitty thing to do, I'm sorry. I didn't know you would freak out like that, I would have told them to stop--"

"You're just as much an asshole as I thought you were this morning," Dan said shortly, but Phil didn't let go of his arm. 

"Hey, I tried to warn you, but you didn't want to look like a loser in front of them. It's not my fault." He finally loosened his grip. "And camp's that way," he said, pointing the complete opposite direction Dan had been going.

He huffed indignantly and began walking again, leaving the rest of them behind. If this was their idea of fun, then he was more than fucking ready to leave as soon as possible. 

***

In light of the events that had taken place that night, it should have come as no surprise that Dan would lose sleep over it. 

He wasn't scared, god no, he wasn't. He did not keep imagining shapes in the corners of the dark cabin, standing and watching him cower under his thin blanket, and he most definitely was not covering his ears against the suddenly all too loud and disturbing sounds that came from outside. Fuck, he was a city boy, and this was nowhere near the usual car horns and drunken shouts he heard outside his bedroom window. He'd be more comforted by the sound of a car crash right now than the whisper of trees brushing together in the wind. 

He just needed to fall asleep, that's all he needed. Close his eyes, cover his ears, count to ten. Count again and again and again until he couldn't focus on the creepy atmosphere, until-

-a loud thud made his heart rate jump, but he kept his eyes shut tight. 

"Ow, shit." It was just Phil. He glanced over at him, and guessed he had stubbed his toe walking across the cabin; no wonder, four guys in one space, it wouldn't be anywhere near clean, even if this was only their second night here.

Phil stopped muttering curses and limped towards the door, directly in front of Dan's bed. 

"Where are you going?" Phil startled at Dan's whispered voice. 

"Jeez, you almost gave me a fucking heart attack," Phil whisper-yelled at him, clutching his chest dramatically. "To the bathroom, why?"

"Can I come with you?"

"That a bit pervy, don't you think?"

But Dan had already thrown off his blanket and was slipping his shoes on. Phil sighed but didn't say anything against it, and they set out together through the empty and quiet campgrounds. It was still eerie out here, but less so with someone beside him. 

"Couldn't sleep?" Phil said, louder now that they weren't in danger of possibly waking up their roommates. 

Dan shrugged. "A little."

"I'm sorry, again." Phil scuffed the ground at his feet, looking sheepish and guilty. "If I had known you would freak out like that--"

"I did not 'freak out'."

"You kind of did," Phil said, looking at over at him with a smirk, but Dan glared at him and he stopped. "But I wouldn't have let them do that. It's just, this initiation thing they do, with all the new campers, nothing serious. I wouldn't have let them scare you."

Dan didn't say anything for a long time, not until they finally did reach the bathrooms. "Thanks, then, I guess," he murmured, more to himself but Phil still heard. "No more surprised like that, though."

"I'll warn you if it comes up." Phil smiled. And they stood there, smiling at each other like idiots, until Phil cleared his throat and pointed to the building beside them. "I'll just, um...do what I came here for."

"Yeah, okay that's...okay."

And afterwards, climbing back into his bed as quietly as possible and listening to Phil do the same, he found it much easier to block the unpleasant thoughts from before.


	4. 1- 4.Swimming Lessons From Adonis Incarnate

"I don't fucking swim," Dan said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the water stonily. "It's against my belief system."

"That is an excuse, and a lame one, too," Finn teased. He was waist deep in the lake, hair dripping into his face and across his shoulders, but it wasn't enough to sway Dan. "Come on, it's not even that cold."

Dan shook his head again, and looked over to where Phil was sitting about ten feet away, reading a book with only his feet in the water. They hadn't talked, had barely interacted with each other, since last night, and Dan was starting to feel like he'd done something to weird him out. It wouldn't be the first time, honestly. It was a shame, though, because he thought they'd been becoming pretty good friends; apparently not.

And standing out here on the edge of the lake, in nothing but swimming shorts and his low self esteem, wasn't much of a comfort.

"You look like a loser," Finn continued teasing him, trying to splash him with cold water, but he was too far away. "You're literally the only one not in the water." That was a lie, there were loads of kids standing on the shore just like him. 

"A good friend would respect my decision not to climb into this disease ridden lake," Dan protested, but Finn just rolled his eyes. 

"You're such a delicate flower."

A warm hand touched Dan's shoulder gently. "Stop pestering him, Finn, you're gonna scare the guy." The voice belonged to quite possibly the hottest guy Dan had ever seen so far in his life, tall and dark haired and a jawline that could cut through steel. He smiled at Dan reassuringly. "Don't let him get to you."

It took a second for Dan to stop staring at him like a freak, and nod. "Yeah, um, thanks. I just--wow, that's really solid." His hand had brushed against the guys stomach and he exhaled heavily, before blushing and crossing his arms. "That was creepy, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," the guy said with a laugh, obviously amused by Dan's flustered state. "I'm Nick. And...I don't mind if you touch."

Yeah, and that wasn't suggestive in any way. 

"Right, um," Dan swallowed thickly and tried to focus. Okay, maybe Chris had been right about the boys here. "I'm Dan."

"Nice to meet you," Nick said, and flashed him a crooked smile. 

"You t--" His reply was cut off when someone grabbed his hand and yanked him backwards into the lake, and he body slammed into the water at full velocity. 

Water clogged his mouth and nose and ears, and he struggled to break the surface, couldn't tell which way was up. His lungs were already starting to ache and just as black spots started to edge against his vision, he was suddenly breathing again, oxygen climbing painfully into his lungs. Finn was in hysterics beside him. 

"Dude," he choked out between his laughter. "Oh god, your face was priceless."

Dan flushed and looked back up to where he'd been standing, but Nick was gone. There was no way he'd missed that though; fuck, he must have looked so stupid. "Why the hell would you do that?" He exclaimed, splashing at Finn angrily. 

"Sorry," Finn said breathlessly. "You just looked a bit...thirsty."

"He must think I'm an idiot now."

Finn floated into his back. "Don't worry about him, trust me, he's not worth it. He'll fuck you and leave."

"And?" Dan shrugged. "I'm not exactly looking for a serious relationship in this place. He's hot and I'm horny, that's how it works, right?"

"It's not just that," Finn faced him again, and the suddenly serious look on his face was unnerving, a complete contrast to his usually jubilant personality. "He'll fuck you and leave, and then tell the whole camp about it, every single detail. And when the counselors find out, they'll skin you alive. His dad owns the place."

"Okay, that is a bit fucked up." And slightly psychotic, but Dan didn't mention that part. It seemed like a mild case of sadism to him. 

The water was fucking freezing, and having been caught so off guard by Finn, he didn't fully register it until now. He shivered and started to slowly make his way to the shore, ignoring Finn's complaints from behind him. He really didn't swim. 

Phil was still sitting in the same place, staring down at the pages of his book and not paying any attention to his surroundings. At least no one was pulling him into the water. And despite the fact that Dan still felt like he'd made things weird between them, he headed towards him. 

"What're you reading?" He asked as he pulled himself up to sit next to Phil, still dripping wet an trying not to splash the pages on accident. "Don't you think it's a bit hazardous, holding that book so close to the water?"

Phil stared at him and smiled. "Promise I'll be careful," he said, and flipped the book closed so Dan could read the cover. Good Omens. "It's a bit complicated, but it's good."

"What's it about?"

"The apocalypse, mostly."

"Ah, of course, such an enlightening read."

Phil laughed, and Dan thought he looked a hundred times more attractive when he laughed. A fleeting and stupid thought. "It's not as dark as you'd imagine, honestly, it's actually funny most of the time."

"I'll take your word for it." Dan wasn't much of a reader, but he had the weirdest sense of loss at not knowing anything about this book. He shifted slightly where he was sitting, brushing his curling hair behind his ear. "So, uh, I wanted to say sorry, about last night."

Phil scrunched his eyebrows together. "What about last night?"

"Like...I know I was being a bit weird and stuff, and I didn't want you to think I was, I don't know. Always that clingy and afraid. I won't follow you to the bathrooms every night, promise."

"Dan, it's fine," Phil said, cutting him off before he could start rambling like an idiot. "Actually, it was better than having to walk there by myself. Those woods are creepy in the dark."

Dan nodded in agreement, and all the tension that had been wound up in his mind started to unravel. "Okay. Good, I guess."

So he hadn't screwed things up with possibly the only person who had the potential of gaining Dan's trust. Phil had to be the most interesting guy he'd met since Chris, and not just because he was cute. He was nice and he knew how to keep up a conversation, which was a lot more than could be said for most people who'd just met each other, and he liked reading and...and Dan was being a total fucking loser over him for no good reason. 

"Wouldn't you rather be swimming than talking to me?" Phil ghosted his hand across Dan's forearm, catching the water droplets that still stuck to his skin. Dan exhaled shakily and laughed. 

"God, no," he said, watching Finn and some other campers start up a game of chicken. "Not my thing, honestly. None of this outdoor stuff is my thing."

"And you thought this was a good place to waste two months in?"

"It wasn't my choice." Dan shrugged, staring down at his knees. He could feel Phil watching him silently. "I...I got in some trouble, big trouble. And my parents felt like this was a fair punishment, I suppose."

And by the power of fucking whatever was above them, Phil didn't ask about it. 

They didn't say anything for a while, and Phil eventually went back to reading his book, and this was a lot more comfortable than Dan would have expected, just sitting and not talking. 

This camp wasn't good for him. 

***

He was starting to get sick of alcohol. Two fucking days, he'd been here for two days, and some of the most basic aspects of his personality were being changed. 

There seemed to be parties every night, and Dan really hoped the energy and enthusiasm would start to die down soon, because he didn't think he could stand another night of forced socializing and having to get buzzed just to make it through. People would start to think he was an alcoholic. 

"You staying here, Phil?" Emery was shoving his legs into a pair of the tightest jeans Dan had ever had the pleasure of seeing on another guy. 

"Yep," Phil said, swiping his thumb across the screen of his phone. There was no service out here, so God knew what he could possibly be doing, but he seemed thoroughly invested in it. "Have fun."

Dan stared at him, and wished he could stay as well, and maybe talk to Phil some more, get to know him better and chase after that warm feeling that seemed to seep into his chest when they hung out. But Em was already dragging him out the door of their cabin by his arm, muttering that they were gonna be late. 

He didn't even know what they were supposed to be celebrating; the second day of camp? Not that important, was it? But everyone seemed to be excited about it, although Dan noticed there were quite a few less people than at the bonfire. 

He didn't care if he looked like a loner. He watched Finn and Emery immediately get lost in the crowd and decided he wanted no part of it, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly and going to stand by himself in one of the more deserted areas of the clearing.

He grabbed a beer on his way; he wasn't getting drunk, not for the third time in two days, but he felt weird having nothing to do with his hands, and he felt like people would stare at him if he didn't.

He stood there for maybe ten minutes, watching the party and taking sips from his bottle, before someone sidled up beside, and when he looked over he was surprised to see it was Nick, the insanely hot and supposed mental case from earlier. 

"You looked a bit lonesome," he said casually, leaning back against one of the tables behind him. "Dan, right?"

And even though he's been told to stay away from this guy, Dan can't help but smile nervously and clutch the neck of his bottle a bit more tightly. He is not someone who attracts attention from anyone, and most definitely not from hot guys who show an obvious interest in him. The last time he'd gotten anywhere close to physical with another guy was last year, and that barely counted because rushed handjobs in bathrooms just didn't do much, not for him. 

"Yeah," Dan said, brushing his hair back and biting his lip; he notices Nick watching his mouth as he does and flushes slightly. "Could use some company, I guess."

And ten minutes later, he's trying to ignore the hard wall pressing into his back as Nick shoves him against it, and it's easy because there are lips kissing down his neck and hands shoving under his shirt, running across his stomach and chest insistently and Finn's warning has completely left his mind because he's too turned on to remember it.


	5. 1- 5. How To Make Everyone Hate You in One Easy Step

Okay, so he'd definitely fucked up this time. Pretty badly. 

It was at least seven in the morning, and he'd woken up with someone's arm around his waist and the sense of dread you get only when you realize something terrible has just happened, and may only get worse. He laid there for a while, staring out of the opposite window and watching the sky turn blue, trying to think of some excuse he could give his cabin mates for not turning up last night. They probably weren't worried about him. 

And Nick...well, Nick was quickly becoming only a thought to him, a one night stand that could potentially humiliate him. Dan was so stupid, and at the worst possible times, it seemed. He didn't think of the consequences of his actions, didn't like to contemplate how they might affect him in the long run, and that' was why he didn't have any friends and was sent to this camp and it's why he calls himself a fuck-up in general life, because he is. And nothing he did seemed to be enough to change that. No one thought of him as a person they wanted  
to stick around in their lives.

But he'd deal with all of that self-deprecation later, because right now, he had bigger problems.

It was easy, removing Nick's arm from its death grip around his waist, he was a deep sleeper it seemed, and Dan gratefully grabbed his clothes from the floor and left the cabin without trouble. Having your dad own the place had its perks apparently, because Nick didn't have to share with anyone else, and he had his own bathroom. Nepotism at its finest. 

"Shit," Dan muttered to himself, pressing his fingertips to his forehead and closing his eyes. He had a really distracting headache, and those stupid fucking birds weren't helping, sitting in seemingly every goddamn tree and chirping like their lives depended on it. At least the grounds were empty right now; he didn't think he could handle human interaction this early in the morning, and not in his current state of mind.

What he really needed was a shower, and he sighed in relief when he finally reached his own cabin, practically on the other side of the camp. He would endure the disease-ridden floors of it meant getting the stench of alcohol and sweat off of him.

He opened the door and nearly ran into Phil who was on his way out, carrying a towel and a change of clothes. 

"Sorry," Dan said, stepping back out of his personal space. "Jeez, we need to stop running into each other, huh?" Phil didn't reply, only gave him a blank stare, and Dan recoiled into himself slightly. "Um, are you, going for a shower? Cause I was just about to, if you wouldn't mind me tagging along."

"Thought you said you wouldn't follow me to the bathrooms anymore?" Phil said. 

"Promise this'll be the last time."

Phil agreed, but Dan couldn't help but feel that it was a reluctant move. He grabbed a change of clothes and his own towel before along into step beside Phil, staring down at his feet as they walked to the showers. It was quiet between them, uneasily so, and Dan struggle to find a way to break it; it was weird, because he usually didn't bother striking up conversations with people he didn't know that well, but over the three days he'd been here so far, he'd found that Phil was someone he could easily talk to. But now, it was...awkward.

Dan crossed his arms over his chest, clutching his biceps until there were ten half-crescent nail marks indented in the skin. "So, how was your night, then?" He asked casually, giving Phil a curious look. "You didn't go to the party, so..."

Phil shrugged. "After a while, all the parties and the drinking and the lowered inhibitions get to be too much, you know?" Dan nodded; he was starting to grow tired of it himself. "And lately, my tolerance for it has gotten much lower. Would rather stay inside by myself, catch up on all that summer reading and such."

It was almost admirable, or envious, how much he didn't seem to care about keeping up appearances. Most of the kids here, even Dan himself, were worried about what others thought of them, how cool and approachable and entertaining they were, and they would stay up all night and drink like their lives depended on it, and Phil was the magnificent outlier to it all. He would reject their invitations, and stand by himself, and Dan wished he had that much self-confidence.

"Understandable," Dan said. "Wish I would've stayed last night, it wasn't as fulfilling as I'd hoped."

"I don't know, I mean," Phil glanced at him once, "I heard you enjoyed yourself, or...maybe not yourself." Dan scrunched his eyebrows together; what was that supposed to mean. Phil bit his lip. "Heard about you and Nick."

Oh. Dan flushed at the words, and he couldn't stop the unbidden memories of last night from flooding his mind, the heat and the sweat and the desperate need, and then the almost instant regret and stomach-churning guilt at what he'd done. And Phil knew about it, apparently not just him either. Had the news spread already? Had Nick told them, at some point before they had left together, or maybe he'd snuck out after Dan had passed out. 

"Not judging or anything, honestly," Phil reassured quickly. "I just...you know about his whole reputation, right?"

"I might have heard about it."

They'd reached the showers now, and Dan could hear people already up and about, water running and the sound of laughing and talking coming from inside. Phil stopped beside the door, and turned to face Dan. 

"So I didn't really peg you as...the slutty type."

"The what?" It's like a punch in the gut, hearing that come from Phil, of all people. Anyone else, he could ignore and go on with his life, but this isn't good. This means that Phil doesn't think of him as anything more than that guy who put out for the psychotic man whore who's daddy owned the place. "Don't...why would you even presume...you don't have any right to say that about me."

"I don't?"

"No, you really fucking don't."

Phil sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "You've been here not even a week, and you're already spreading your legs for some guy who'll do nothing but screw you over, what else am I supposed to think--"

"You're fucking pathetic," Dan said, trying to sound angry and defiant, but his hands were shaking at his sides and and his throat was closing up. "You're just assuming, and you don't know a thing about me, so don't sit here and judge me like you even remotely understand my life."

They stood there and stared at each other for what felt like forever, the morning air thick with tension around them. Phil pressed his hand to his eyes and rubbed roughly. "I didn't, mean it like that."

"Then what did you mean it like?" Dan asked harshly, and Phil didn't answer, giving him this look like he had no idea what he was talking about. Dan shook his head. "Great. Thanks so much, this is exactly what I need right now, you telling me how disgusting I am."

"I didn't say that--"

"You might as well have."

Dan pushed past him into the showers, jaw clenched and hands turned into fists at his aides. Phil didn't make any move to stop him, and that was both good and bad; he would much rather not argue about it anymore, but it also meant that Phil wasn't willing to try and apologize, or even hear Dan out. And that hurt. 

***

By mid-afternoon, Dan was in such a foul mood that it seemed to be affecting his whole day. After being confronted by Phil, it all went downhill from there, and so far he'd slipped in the shower and almost broken his nose, tripped over his suitcase which was still laying in the middle of the floor of their cabin, and nearly face planted trying to tie his shoes. All in all, it was turning out to be a bad day.

The only semi-good thing that had happened to him so far was that no one else had brought up anything about him and Nick, at least, not to his face, so he just cautiously assumed that they didn't know. Yet.

It was almost two in the afternoon, and everyone was packed into the cafeteria, talking and shouting and laughing and eating, and Dan was starting to get a headache. He had just grabbed a tray and joined the long line of other kids when someone grabbed his arm and dragged him unceremoniously from the room, out into the sweltering heat. 

"What the hell, Finn?" Dan snatched his arm back and glared at his cabin mate. There was no one else out here, and the quiet was almost unnerving. "What's your problem?"

"I thought I told you, specifically told you, to stay away from Nick," Finn snapped, crossing his arms defiantly across his chest. Dan shifted his gaze towards the ground, but he could feel his ears turning red at the accusation. "And what, you thought that meant to immediately sleep with him?"

Dan shook his head and smiled ruefully. "Look, can we not do this right now, I'm not in the mood." He turned to leave again but Finn pulled him back. 

"No, we're doing this now." Dan sighed but didn't move to leave again. "I mean, did you even hear anything I said about him? How bad he'll fuck you over, how his dad owns the camp, does any of that ring a bell?"

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Dan bit out through his teeth; he was getting angry for no good reason but he hated this, having these people dig into his business like it was theirs. "Go back there and un-fuck him? Sorry, Finn, I don't think that's gonna work, so can you please just drop it? I know I screwed up, I don't need you to remind me."

"I'm just trying to make sure you're okay," Finn said in a much more gentle tone. "I don't know how you feel or what you're going through, but I just want to make sure you're okay, because I know he's an asshole."

Dan let out a shaky breath and rubbed his across his face. "I wish I hadn't done it either, trust me, but I did. And I'd rather just forget about it, so just...please? Leave it alone?"

Finn stared at him in concern, and Dan tried to tell himself that it wasn't pitying or judging, but the spike that was suddenly being slowly pushed into his chest was saying otherwise. "I don't know if this is going to end good, Dan," he said. 

"We'll just see what happens, then, I guess." And he knew that wasn't a very good solution to the problem, but it was all he could muster the energy to do right now. 

Finn reached out and patted him on the shoulder before heading back into the cafeteria, but Dan didn't follow him; his mood was starting to deteriorate faster now, Phil's words and Finn's words joining the self-dread that had been building up in his mind since he'd woken up that morning, and he didn't think he could handle being in such a crowded place without lashing out or breaking down, or both. 

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm down, and it worked slightly. At least, he wasn't on the verge of tears anymore. 

He turned and made his way to his cabin, planning on sitting by himself for as long as he could before being forced to do whatever activities everyone else was supposed to be doing. 

He rounded the corner, his hands shoved into his pockets, and nearly ran into someone else. 

"Shit, so--" he started to apologize, but immediately stopped when he saw it was Nick. He froze where he was standing. 

"Hey," Nick said softly, almost reassuringly, smiling crookedly at him. He didn't look like he would have any evil intentions, but Dan still felt his muscles tense automatically. "I've been, looking for you actually, I wanted to talk to you."

Dan shook his head, and swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "I, uh, can't right now, I have to...I'm busy, just, later? Possibly?"

Nick looked like he wanted to protest, but he closed his mouth and smiled again, and Dan mentally told himself not to get into deeper shit than was already in. "Okay. Later."

As soon as he was gone, Dan dragged a hand through his hair and slumped against the wall of the cabin he was standing next to, trying to put this whole crazy fucking puzzle together. 

At this rate, he wasn't going to survive the next week in this place.


	6. 1- 6.The Birthday From Hell + Chris' Words of Wisdom

For the next two days, Dan spent as much time away from his cabin as he could possibly manage, which was a difficult feat, considering he hated being outside any longer than was necessary. The heat had become even more stubbornly insistent, and for the first time that week, he found himself donning one of the few pairs of shorts he owned. It was a low point for him. 

Considering all the complaining he'd been doing about this place ever since he'd found out about it, he strangely was becoming attached to it; he'd gotten used to the abnormal amount of trees, and the hyper speed showers he had to take if he didn't want the water to become glacier cold. 

And hell, he'd even gotten used to his cabin mates, or....the ones who still talked to him, at least. 

Not a word had been passed between him and Phil since the incident he liked to call The Great Slut Shaming Extravaganza. An unfortunate but catchy title, and it summed up the whole thing pretty nicely. 

He shouldn't take it so hard, he knew that, it was not the first time someone had called him a name, and it definitely wasn't the worst. It just felt a lot more personal. 

So Phil was on the outs with him, and he didn't miss the hesitation that Finn gave him whenever they talked. Whether that was because of the Nick thing, or something else, he didn't quite know, but it was still infuriating. 

"You know, you don't look so deathly pale anymore." Emery sat down next to him, and normally Dan would reject other people trying to force their companionship on him unwanted, but right now, he didn't really have the energy. "The sunlight you hate so much is really doing you some good."

"Fuck off," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "My skin cells are all dying right now under these harsh UV rays."

"Aw come on, you know you can't use those big science terms around me."

"If those are 'big science terms' to you, then I feel sorry for whatever teachers you've ever had." Dan grinned at Emery's middle finger. 

"So what's got you in such a sulky mood lately, then?" Em asked, laying back on the grass and crossing his arms behind his head. Dan glanced at him curiously; it wasn't like very many people bothered with getting to know him at all, let alone want to know about his problems. And he'd only been here a week so far, which was nowhere near enough time for him to develop any sort of bond with the people here. He didn't much like the idea of spilling his secrets to near strangers. 

But who the hell else was there? 

"Just..." Dan shrugged and stared at his drawn up knees. "I wasn't expecting to, get attached to this place. You know, I didn't wanna come here at all. I was hoping to spend the whole summer hating my parents and avoiding anything to do with 'nature' or 'fun'."

Emery smirked up at him. "So you're all down and out because you actually like it here?"

"I think 'like' is a bit of an over exaggeration." Dan said. "It's just not as horrible as I was picturing it."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Em sat up again, glancing around as if someone would actually want to eavesdrop on their conversation. Then turned and said in a stage whisper, "I didn't like it here at first, either. Two years ago today, I was as glum and pissy about this place as you are now."

Dan shook his head. "Now I don't believe that. As spirited and enthusiastic as you are about it? No way," he said. 

"I know that doesn't mean much to you," Em said, "but the point is, a lot of people were forced to come here against their will; me, Finn and his sister, honestly, about half the camp. You just have to get used to it."

He would like to think he was already pretty damn used to it, and that nothing about the experience was anything he thought of as 'good'. He'd heard this same lecture from his parents fifty times before they dumped him here, and he really didn't think he wanted to hear it from Emery, no matter how attractive and friendly he was. The words were starting to make him physically sick. 

Em sighed at his lack of a response. "Fine. At least you have your birthday to look forward to. You'll be eighteen, right?"

"Don't remind me." Dan glared at his ankles. He wasn't some metaphorical loser who hated his birthday because it was a useless marker on how close he actually was to dying; he liked celebrating it, and he liked all the attention people would suddenly give him. This year was different though. He was stuck in a place he didn't know, with people he still called strangers. There was no real upside to turning eighteen this year, he'd been picturing it going a lot differently. 

"You just hate everything, don't you?" Emery said, and Dan shrugged. He decided to stop being so morbid and serious, at least for the time being. 

"I like...some things." There was a noticeable pause before Dan realized Emery was waiting for him to elaborate. "Like...scented candles."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Emery grinned at him obnoxiously. "If that's all you've got going for you, then I'd hate to see where your future lies."

"Fuck off," Dan shoved him so that he fell to the ground on his back again, but both of them were smiling.

So at least there was one person. 

***

As soon as the sun was high enough to actually see two feet in front of you, Dan was up and out of the cabin, trudging across the damp grounds and cursing the heat that was already starting to make him sweat. 

It was the tragic day he'd been anticipating, June eleventh, and he was officially eighteen. It was almost disturbing, how no one seemed to care about this momentous occasion; no one was waking up early to wish him well, there was no surprise party or cake, or even a change in the air that would indicate to his newfound adulthood. 

But that also might be because it was 6:30 in the morning and he still felt half dead. 

There was a large, open space towards the entrance of the camp, and it was filled with highly uncomfortable and splinter infested wooden tables. Dan planted himself firmly on one of these spots, watching the tips of the trees gradually become more prominent against the early morning sky. 

His parents were supposed to be coming sometime in the afternoon, hours from now, but he still felt like he should start mentally preparing for it. He didn't want to end up breaking down or begging them to just take him back home. He wanted to be better than that. 

This was probably the first time he'd been truthfully alone since arriving here, and it was the most content he'd been, possibly in the last year. But there was also that edge to it, like he shouldn't be sitting out here all by himself or something. It was starting to make him anxious, so he climbed off the table and made his way back towards the cabin, if not just to grab clean clothes and shower. 

Fucking birthdays. 

***

"Dude, where the hell have you been all morning?" Finn sat down next to him at the small table, their shoulder pressed so close together, it was strangely intimate. Dan shrugged and squirmed in his seat. 

"Out. Walking around." He'd been all over the camp, like some desperate attempt to avoid whatever it was that was bothering him so much about today. He didn't know why he felt so uneasy, but it was best if he dealt with it in his own mind rather than have everyone constantly ask why he was spacing out so much. "I just felt like being by myself for a while."

"I was gonna wake you up by spreading whipped cream all over your face and screaming 'For He's A Jolly Good Fellow', but you disappeared on me."

"Oh wow, sorry I missed out on that," he said blankly. 

They were in Arts & Crafts block, and yeah, it was so much worse than the name implied. The counselor, a thin wisp of a guy named Rick with a million bracelets on his arms and glasses that were taped in the middle, was showing them how to properly glue uncooked macaroni to paper plates without making a huge mess. Dan stared down at his macaroni penis in satisfaction. 

"Well, happy birthday anyway," Finn said glumly, looking mighty disappointed that his plan hadn't been carried out that way he wanted. "And your parents are here."

Suddenly, his edible genitals didn't seem so sarcastically rewarding now, and that sharp sense of dread he'd been holding at bay returned at full force. 

It wasn't like he didn't want to see them, they were his fucking parents, he just didn't want to do it so soon. He wasn't ready for them to ask questions about how he was doing and what he'd been up to so far. It would be like a slap to the face. Or something equally as dramatic. 

One of the pros of this place was, you didn't really have to stick around for the activities. You could come and go as you liked, as long as you didn't stay holed up in your cabin the whole day, or wandered aimlessly about the grounds. Dan stood and made his way out the door, ignoring Finn's attempt to reassure him, and abandoning his masterpiece on the table. 

There were way too many kids, all crowded together in huddles outside, some in their bathing suits either heading towards the lake and/or pool or just getting out of it. He walked around them, careful not to touch their overheated skin as he headed to the front office, where his parents were probably waiting in the air conditioned oasis of this place. 

He wasn't expecting to see Chris, leaning against one of the thinner trees and not-so-surreptitiously watching a group of half-naked girls in the middle of a volleyball match.

"What the fuck?" He sounded just as shocked as he felt, and for a second, he had the wild thought that maybe he was hallucinating, the heat and recent stress making him see things, but no. It really was Chris, turning around at the sound of his voice and grinning widely. 

"Man, I was right about the hot guys here," he said, and Dan nearly started crying at the familiar crudeness coming from his best friend. "I'm honestly a bit jealous."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Dan asked as he walked closer, reaching out and pulling Chris into a hug. 

"Whoa, intimate contact? Have you gone soft on me, Howell? What's this place doing to you, 'cause I like it." He teased, but he didn't push him away. "You're parents thought it'd be a nice surprise, although I think they secretly were just too lazy to get you an actual gift."

Right on cue, his parents stepped out of the office building, instantly spotting Chris and Dan standing together in the small shade of the trees. 

"Hi, sweetie," his mum said, and before he even knew what was happening, she was suffocating him in an embrace that seemed too strong to be physically possible. Then, just as quickly, she started smothering him with questions and concerns, wondering if they were feeding him properly and if the bathrooms were sufficiently clean. He barely had room to answer between her frantic inquiries.

"Let him breathe," his father interrupted gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We just got here, we have time for all that later."

"I know," she sighed helplessly. "At least tell me the people are nice here, no one's mistreating you or anything?"

"No mum, jeez, the people are fine." And hey, he mostly did mean that. There were only a few exceptions. "Maybe a bit more outgoing than I'm used to, though."

"Definitely," Chris said, and pointed over his shoulder toward the volleyball players. "What would it take to get you in one of those bikinis?"

His parents had never really approved of Chris's company at all, let alone Dan's involvement with him, but they had never said a word against it. He figured it was because they would rather him have one bad influence of a friend than none at all; it probably made them feel better, that their son wasn't such an asocial recluse anymore. 

"Okay, well," his mum smiled, though it seemed a bit stiff. "How about you show Chris around, Dan? You two can catch up, and we'll all get together later and celebrate."

The way she said celebrate made his stomach hurt, an ever present reminder that they were probably only here to try and assuage their worries that he hated them for forcing him to come here. And he had, like, two days ago, but now it was too much of an effort to ignore them, especially since they'd brought Chris along. Dealing with that for two hours in a car was a miracle in itself. 

"Yeah, sounds good." He grabbed Chris's arm and started pulling him away, trying not to seem too much in a rush. "See you later."

"Dude," Chris said once they had gotten far enough away so as not to be overheard, "how bad is it, actually?"

"Not as bad as I was expecting, honestly," Dan said with a shrug. "No poison ivy, or bears in the woods trying to disembowel me. Mostly, it's just weird activities and burning in the sun, so I'd say I lucked out."

Of course, it was only the first week, so there was no telling how smoothly the rest of the summer was going to be. If it kept getting worse from here, he probably wouldn't be alive by then, a victim to the modern torture of hostile teenagers and no internet connection. A very bad mixture these days. 

"You've gotten so fucking tan," Chris stated, running his hand across Dan's arm in apparent awe. "And you're wearing shorts. I don't think I've ever seen your legs. Who even are you?"

Dan shoved him. "Fuck you," he said teasingly. "Believe it or not, you can't spend all day in ninety degree weather wearing skinny jeans."

"You just don't want it enough."

He figured he would show Chris his cabin first, and introduce to his temporary roommates if they were in. But when they reached the small building, it was empty of anyone else. 

"This doesn't look very sanitary," Chris said, walking in circles and inspecting practically every inch of the room. He was a major perfectionist, and it was hilarious to watch next to his usually candid, laid back attitude. "I mean, four guys in one room? Isn't that against some kind of laws?"

Dan sat on his bed, pulling his legs underneath him. "It's a lot bigger than your average room, I think, I'm sure it's fine."

Chris looked nowhere near satisfied with that, but he finally gave up on searching through the other guys stuff and sat across from Dan on the bed. "So then. Tell me all the naughty things you've done that you can't say in front of your parents."

"Why do you have this idea that I'm some wild party animal whenever no one's around?" Dan asked haughtily, even though he knew that Chris could see he had some stories to tell. Okay, so he wasn't exactly a saint, but that didn't make him the loose cannon that Chris seemed to believe he was. "It's been pretty chill so far."

"That is fucking lie and we both know it, you have that look in your eye."

"What? What look?"

"The look like you've done something either really good or really bad, and you don't want to tell me." 

He hated being best friends with such a persistent and nosy asshole.

"Jesus fucking--" Dan sighed. It would be best to just tell him, because God knew he wouldn't shut about it. "Fine, there was....this guy."

"Ooh, what guy?" Chris immediately smirked at him, and Dan wanted nothing more than to leave it there and forget about it. He knew it wouldn't be taken seriously. 

"Just a guy." He picked at the loose frays of his bedspread absently. "We hooked up, I guess. But apparently, he's some notorious play boy who'll ruin my life because I slept with him. So it was a one night thing, that's pretty much it."

"Aw, no details?" Chris pouted, but Dan glared at him and he dropped it. "Alright, fine. Just saying, if it was me, it would definitely not be one night."

"I don't know, I mean," Dan ran a hand through his hair, "it's not that he's not attractive, or that I wouldn't want to, just...I sort of regret it. Like, a lot. I was starting to, make friends or whatever, and after that, it just kinda blew up in my face."

"And what does that matter?" Chris said, and Dan give him a questioning look. "Look, you'll know these people for the next two months. Who cares if you fuck up sometimes, or make bad decisions while you're here? You'll never see anyone here again. So it doesn't matter."

Dan opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted when the door to the cabin opened and Phil walked in, stopping in his tracks when he spotted the two of them sitting together. 

"Hey," he said, and Dan was sure it had been at least three days since they'd said anything to each other, so this was different but it wasn't horrible. Not yet, at least. "You've been missing all morning."

"Yeah, sorry," Dan said, and he wasn't completely sure why he was apologizing, but it seemed appropriate. "Been busy."

There was an awkward silence that followed, where neither of them looked directly at each other, before Chris decided to break it. 

"Well, I'm Chris, Dan's best friend and occasional lover, who might you be?"

Dan dragged his hands across his face and sighed heavily, but Phil only laughed. "I'm Phil. One of the unfortunate souls that has to share this space with Dan."

"I fucking hate both of you."

"Such a kind hearted spirit, I love you too," Chris said, and stood up from the bed, pulling Dan up with him by the wrist. "Now come on, show me the rest of this place, I want to get the full experience."

Dan let himself be dragged out of the room, but just before the door closed behind them, he glanced back and gave Phil a small smile. 

They were barely a foot away from the cabin when Chris punched him in the arm. "What the hell was that?"

"Ow, you dick." Dan rubbed his now-probably-bruised arm. "What was what?"

"That crazy high tension between you and mister sex god." Dan rolled his eyes at the slightly degrading, although not ill fitting name. "I felt uncomfortable being in the same room as you two."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Chris scoffed, in that way that Dan knew he would do everything in his power to figure out every little detail about any sort of relations between Dan and Phil, whether they be friendly or not. "Bullshit. There's something going on there."

Dan shook his head and started walking towards the lake, with Chris trailing after him. "There really isn't," he said. "We barely even talk to each other. Plus, he isn't that great of a person."

"Please, he looks like a fucking virgin, what could he have possibly done to you to make you hate him in only a week?"

Dan didn't answer him, kicking at the ground as they walked silently. He hadn't told anyone else about the unfortunate encounter between him and Phil, and he didn't think he would anytime soon. It was like this deep seated heat of shame that sat on his chest whenever he even thought about it. He didn't want to see how other people would react, or worse, agree with it. It was better if he kept it between the two of them for now. 

"Fine," Chris said after a little while, surprisingly, giving up the endeavor to uncover all the dirty details. "But you shouldn't hate everyone here because of something that won't matter in, like, a month. You won't make any friends, then."

Dan smirked "I'll always have you, though, right?"

"You bet your sweet ass you will."


	7. 1- 7.Battle of The Best Friends, and Learning to Make Boys Jealous

He would like to say that things went spectacular. That he'd gotten over the petty dislike towards his parents for sending him here, and that Chris's presence made the whole thing at least a tiny bit bearable. That he was fine. 

But he wasn't very big on lying, even to himself, because he was shit at it.

In the most simple of terms, it was boring. The four of them sat a reasonable distance apart, just enough to be able to hear each other without having to be responsible for initiating a conversation, and didn't say a word besides commenting on the weather (which was hot) and asking how he was doing (which was 'fine'). Chris tried his hardest to make things less depressing, but his sex jokes fell flat and left everyone feeling mildly violated. 

"Hey," Chris leaned over to whisper in his ear, "are we going to be here much longer? I feel like I'm going through withdrawal, I haven't had a smoke since this morning."

"You're not allowed to smoke here," Dan whispered back, trying to ignore the way his parents were watching them curiously. They never liked being unaware of everything that had to do with him, especially if it involved any of his delinquent friends. 

"I'm not a fucking camper, the worst they can do is tell me to leave."

That didn't mean he wouldn't get in trouble for letting it happen. But he figured it was better than suffocating in this death trap of a family reunion, so he stood up and dusted off his legs. "We'll be right back. Bathroom."

His mum smiled, a thin, tight-lipped grin that clearly showed she knew they weren't actually going to the bathroom, and that she one hundred percent disapproved of whatever it was they were actually up to, but she didn't say anything against it. "Don't be too long, then," she said, and it was almost annoying how much free will she gave him. They were both trying too hard, and it made him sick.

"You're not even trying, are you?" Chris said as they walked, headed towards the secluded cover of trees that would hide them from any passerby who could possible get them in trouble. He was probably breaking quite a few rules right now, but it felt good, almost like he was back at home, causing trouble at school with his friends. He was even making his parents mad again. "They're making an effort, at the very least you could pretend."

"Or," Dan said sarcastically, "I could ignore them until they eventually leave me here again, even though they know I don't want to be here and don't deserve it."

They had reached a point in the forest where it was sure they wouldn't be seen; Chris pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, not caring to check if anyone was potentially spying on them or something. 

"All I'm saying is, they're your parents." Dan watched as thin wisps of smoke unfurled from Chris's lips. "And, I mean, you did set a classroom on fire."

"It was a fucking accident," Dan said in frustration. He hadn't done it on purpose, was anyone listening to that part? "And fine, I deserve to be reprimanded for it, but come on. Forcing your kid to waste his summer at some place in the middle of nowhere with strangers? Cruel and unusual punishment."

"Oh, shut up, you don't hate it that much." Chris rolled his eyes at him. "You've already slept with a hot guy and made enemies out of your roommates, you seem to be pretty productive already."

Dan toed the ground, shoving his hands into his pockets. "That's not stuff to be proud of."

"I didn't say it was good, just productive." Whenever it seemed like he was on the verge of giving some actual, helpful advice, it always seemed to turn around and slap everyone in the face. "And what about that guy you totally want to bone? Are you gonna stop being a wimp and talk to him, or wallow in your pool of self-pity all summer?"

"Fuck you," Dan said and shoved his shoulder, laughing. "He's a person, not a sex toy."

It was very inconvenient that Chris had picked up on the tension between him and Phil, because now it was all he cared about. It seemed like it was his job to get them together, the way he continuously brought it up, and Dan was getting a small headache from it. 

"You know what you have to do?" Chris asked, as if he were the messiah of other people's relationship problems. Dan shook his head, knowing it would do no good to try and stop the conversation now that his friend had gotten wound up about it. "Make him jealous."

"Jesus..." Dan dragged a hand across his face, wondering where the hell Chris came up with this stuff. "You're outrageous."

"Just listen," Chris insisted, flicking his cigarette. "Okay, he's totally into you, anyone can see that from a mile away. So if you pretend you're not interested, maybe flirt with some other guys here or there," he snapped his fingers for emphasis, "he's yours. He'll want to get your attention, but you play it off at first, make him fucking beg for it. Then, give him what you both want."

He had a pleased look on his face, obviously very proud of his keen advice-giving skills, but Dan burst out laughing, and he frowned. 

"You're kidding, right?" Dan asked in between giggles, holding his stomach. "You honestly think that'll work? Is this how you pick up other people? Well, I can see why it doesn't work very often--"

"Oh, go fuck yourself." Chris snapped at him impatiently. "It's worked better than anything you've ever tried."

Dan leaned against one of the trees behind him to catch his breath. He wished the rest of his summer would go something like this, laughing his ass off about stupid things with friends and pushing all of his responsibilities to the back of his mind. He had a strange feeling it would be completely different, though.

"Why can't you just stay here?" He asked quietly and tried not to sound like some whiny twelve year old who was scared to be alone. "It's no fun without you. Everyone else is so lame."

"Not my style," Chris said, looking around at the sunlight streaming through the leaves of the trees in mild disgust. Dan laughed once. 

"And you think it's mine?"

Chris shrugged vaguely. "You fit in quite nicely, really."

He didn't even want to know what that was supposed to mean, and was saved the painful awkwardness of asking by the sound of someone else approaching their super secret hideout in the middle of the forest where anyone could see them. 

"You two don't look suspicious at all." It was Finn, joining their small group with a flourish that made it clear he wasn't staying long. He eyed Chris's cigarette warily. "You're not supposed to smoke here. It's a fire hazard."

Chris gave him a pointed look and blew another cloud of smoke almost directly in his face. 

Dan had no idea what it was, but almost as soon as they had met, the two of them had taken an immediate disliking to each other. He'd asked, but neither were too keen on sharing any details, but it left a bad feeling in his chest; they were both good friends of his, and it felt weird that they obviously didn't get along at all.

"What's up?" Dan asked, trying to distract them both before they ended up fighting each other for no apparent reason. He breathed a sigh of relief when they relented to staring studiously in opposite directions. 

"There's a volleyball match happening later tonight," Finn said to him. "Everyone wants to know if you're coming. And by everyone, I mean Emery and Nick."

Dan's stomach gave a small lurch at the mention of Nick's name, but he shook it off quickly; he was trying his hardest to not let that whole mess affect the rest of his summer. But the fact that Nick was suddenly so interested in him made him both terrified and intrigued. The guy was hot. "I'm not much of an athlete."

Finn shrugged. "You don't have to play, most people will just be watching anyway."

And how else was he supposed to get out of it? All of them wanted him to go, and he hated disappointing people. Plus, it sounded like pretty much the whole camp was going, and it would leave him to be the one loser who decided to stay in his cabin while everyone else was having fun. He didn't want to be tagged the weird antisocial kid before the first month had even gone. 

"Okay, I guess I'll go." He knew he sounded less than enthusiastic, but Finn still looked pleased as he turned to leave, not even bothering a look in Chris's direction. 

"You're too nice for your own good," Chris spoke up as soon as Finn had disappeared. "You could've said no if you didn't want to do it."

"I want to do it," Dan argued back halfhearted, but deflated at the condescending look he was given. "Fine, maybe I don't want to do it. But I have to."

"God, I need to get you out of here," Chris muttered. "You're not even the same person anymore."

"Stop being so dramatic."

"No, you stop being so goddamn susceptible," Chris said, and Dan was surprised at how angry he sounded. "I mean, do you even fucking see yourself?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dan asked. From what he could tell, he hadn't done a single thing to make Chris mad at him, and if this was how the day was going to end, then he would much rather it have not happened at all. Birthdays sucked. 

"It means that you're different," Chris said. "I mean, you're hanging out with these pricks that you normally wouldn't even glance at, like it doesn't matter, like you haven't spent the last three years of your life dedicated to isolating yourself from them. And since when have you ever been scared to talk to a guy you like? And volleyball? Really? What the fuck is up with you?"

"You're angry because of my decisions? Do you know how stupid you sound?"

"Don't try and make me seem like some kind of bad guy," Chris said. "You've been gone two weeks, and suddenly your the epitome of fucking popularity, hanging out with the cool kids and acting all docile and shy around some pathetic guy, I'm just trying to figure out where I fit into to all of this."

"Don't worry about it." Dan shrugged. "I'm not trying to start an argument with you. I'm only gonna be here for two months, might as well make the best of it. Even if that means changing some things about myself."

"What the fuck ever, Dan," Chris said, pushing his cigarette against one of the trees and putting it out. He turned and started to walk away. "Do whatever you need to make these people like you, I don't care."

"Are you fucking serious?" Dan shouted after him, but Chris didn't look back or respond. 

What was his problem? This was supposed to be a good day, and now his best friend was getting pissy at him for nothing? But he wasn't going to dwell on it too long, so he took a few deep breaths, pushing down his frustration and anger, and started to make his way back to where his parents were probably wondering where they had gone off to. 

He hadn't really been keeping track of the time, but it was a lot later than he was expecting. The sun was starting to sink behind the trees, casting the sky in dark reds and oranges, and when he got back to the spot he'd left his parents, he found that they had packed up all of their stuff, obviously getting ready to leave. Chris was nowhere to be seen. 

"Visiting hours are almost over," his mum said gently. She seemed to sense that he wasn't in a very good mood, but didn't say anything about it. "We need to leave soon."

"Oh. Alright." Okay, so maybe he hadn't been too stoked about them coming in the first place, but now that they were leaving, he felt bad. They probably thought he hated them for making him come here, and they would think that for the rest of the time he was gone. "I'm glad you came to visit."

"Of course, sweetie, we weren't going to miss your birthday." His mum smiled and pulled him into a hug, and his dad did too, a second later, until he was sufficiently suffocating between their affection. "And if you ever need anything, you can just call, but I'm sure you'll be fine, you've always been good on your own. Just in case though."

He smiled at her coddling, and before long, they were waving goodbye and climbing back into their car. Chris was already in the backseat, having given him only a short wave as a farewell. He didn't want to have lost one of his best friends over something to trivial and irrational, but there was no time to try and fix it now. 

The headlights disappeared around a corner, and Dan continued standing there, leaning against the table, as it grew darker around him. 

***

Dan was pretty much ready to fall into the obliviousness of sleep. His day had been so much more dreadful than anticipated, and at this point, it was pure luck and strength of will that was keeping him upright at all. The sun had set and his limbs were weary with fatigue and sadness, but apparently, now wasn't the time for him to catch a break. 

He'd forgotten about the whole volleyball thing. From the way he heard other kids talking about it, it was a some huge deal. And he'd promised to go. 

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Dan asked, wrapping his arms around his chest stiffly as he followed Finn to whatever spot this was supposed to be taking place. "I have a headache. I think this might be pushing it." It wasn't a lie. 

"You'll be fine," Finn waved him off. "It's not exactly an extraneous activity, sitting and watching a game."

"Maybe for you, but I've spent eighteen years building up a resistance to anything having to do with the words 'outside', 'sports', and 'other people'."

But there was no more room to argue his point, because they reached the stretch of land that would serve as a makeshift court. It was already pretty filled up with other campers, sitting on towels and blankets, talking and laughing and drinking and being way too much for him. There was a net stretched across the middle of the grass, but Dan couldn't see anybody who might potentially be players. 

He didn't know a single thing about volleyball, except the general rule of getting the ball over the net without it going out of bounds, so he was sure this wouldn't be too interesting for him.

Finn led him to an empty spot on the far side of the space, where a few coolers were grouped together so that people without blankets or towels wouldn't have to sit on the ground. They joined a crowd of Finn's friends, and Dan sat slightly apart from them so he wouldn't intrude on whatever inside jokes they were sharing.

The longer he say there, the more he began to realize he didn't want to be here. Chris's words from earlier rang through his head, and he guiltily accepted that he had been right. These people weren't his style, this whole place wasn't something he wanted to be apart of. Maybe they liked him well enough, and hell, maybe he can sometimes enjoyed himself, but it was majorly temporary. Come autumn, and he wouldn't even remember their names. This was a punishment. It was supposed to be, at least. 

But there was a small, very minuscule, voice in the back of his head that was telling him something different. That, as much as he played the attitude 'I hate life and everything it means' card, he got tired of it. That he wanted this, however deep that want was. 

And he was allowed to have good things, right?

He was staring at the ground so intently, he almost didn't give any notice to the pair of beat up sneakers that stopped next to him, until someone spoke to him. 

"Hey." He looked up at Phil in mild surprise; he didn't exactly know what kind of terms they were on right now, but this was the second time he'd initiated a conversation with him today, so maybe it was getting better. Phil nodded at an empty spot next to Dan. "Okay if I sit here? Nowhere else seems very...appealing."

"Yeah, go ahead," Dan said, folding his hands in his lap. There was plenty of space on the open field they were in, but Phil still sat close to him, so that their knees were brushing together. He didn't mind it. 

Finn didn't seem to notice the new arrival to the group, and Dan was a little bit glad about that. He kind of wanted this moment alone, for a little bit. 

It was uncomfortably quiet between them for what felt like ages, the memory of their last unfortunate encounter echoing in the silence and making it difficult to act like it had never happened or something. But apparently, Phil had come with a plan. 

"I know I'm probably not your favorite person right now," he said, as there was something about his voice that made Dan shudder. "But I thought I should at least try and apologize. It's just...I've seen way too many people who get involved with Nick, and either get their hearts broken or end up some bitchy asshole who thinks they're better than everyone else. But you're not like that, I guess. I shouldn't have judged you so quickly. I'm sorry."

His head was turned down, watching his hands twisting nervously on his thighs, and Dan looked at him, trying to discern any telltale signs that this was some kind of joke or another prank. But Phil seemed genuinely sincere about his apology. "It's understandable, I suppose," Dan muttered gently, but Phil shook his head. 

"No, it shouldn't be," he complained. "That was a horrible thing to say to you, and I don't even know why I--" he broke off with a sardonic laugh. "I'm not usually so harsh."

"It's really fine, Phil," Dan assured him firmly. "You didn't mean it, so I forgive you."

"Okay," Phil said. "Good, then."

Dan looked away and was surprised to see the game had already started, the two teams tossing the ball back and forth over the net. He didn't know how long they'd been playing, and he found he also didn't really care. It was just as uninteresting as he thought it would be. 

"This is so boring." Phil said, voicing Dan's thigh by out loud as he leaned back onto his hands and watched the game with unfocused eyes. "I really only came here to talk to you."

Dan turned to look at him, and smiled. "We should leave, then."

It was a flimsy and half-hearted request, but Phil smiled back at him like it was the greatest idea in the world. "You want to?"

Should they? No one would notice. Finn had pretty much forgotten he was there, and no one else would even give them a second glance. Would they get in trouble?

Did that matter?

"Let's go." Dan climbed to his feet, pulled Phil up with him, and they snuck off towards the trees without looking back. 

"We should go swimming," Phil said calmly, as if it was completely normal to go swimming at night when they weren't technically allowed to. He laughed at Dan's disbelief. "What, is that too much for you? You know how to swim, I've seen you."

"Doesn't mean I want to freeze my tits off for fun."

"You'll be fine," Phil said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him in the direction of the pool; it was less embarrassing than the lake, he had to admit. "It's warmer at night than during the day."

There was no one else near the pool, and it was eerily quiet where they stood at the edge, staring at the smooth surface of water reflecting the moonlight. Beside him, Phil suddenly took off his shirt, and Dan averted his eyes as he began stripping of the rest of his clothes, until he was only in his underwear. His thighs were fucking amazing. 

Phil sat down, dangling his legs into the water, before pushing off and going under completely. He popped up a second later, shaking his head and looking up at Dan, who was still fully clothed. "Are you gonna come in, or make me look stupid all by myself in here?"

"I don't know..." Dan said hesitantly. He really didn't like swimming, and this entire situation screamed the likelihood of him embarrassing himself beyond imaginable...but he was also curious. This was Phil's idea of fun, and it wasn't very often he saw that. 

"You don't have to," Phil said quickly. "I'm not forcing you or anything. But at least stop being so stiff, you're making me self-conscious."

So Dan only took of his shoes and slipped his feet in the water, surprise at how warm it actually was; maybe they heated it at night or something. He watched Phil swim a few laps across the pool, trying his damn hardest not to get too distracted by his skin. After a few moments though, Phil retired and came to sit up on the she next to Dan. Dan didn't take notice of the few water droplets that got on to his clothes. 

"I just realize I never got to wish you a happy birthday," Phil said, slightly out of breath as he pushed his wet hair out of his face. 

"Jeez, don't remind me." Dan shook his head. "Can't wait for it to be over, honestly."

"What, you don't like your birthday?"

"I don't not like it." Dan shrugged. "Just this one in particular. No offense or anything, but I didn't think I'd be turning eighteen in the middle of some dirt-filled, bug-infested surrounded by people I barely know and nothing to do that is actually enjoy. Not very satisfying."

"You should have just asked me, I would have satisfied you."

"Fuck you." Dan grinned and shoved him away, but Phil splashed him with pool water, making him gasp. "Oh, you're dead. I'm definitely killing you now."

"Well, if you want to do that," Phil said smugly, dropping back into the water and paddling backwards, "you'd have to come in here."

Dan bit his lip, debating the pros and cons of this. But he ignored his racing heart and sweaty palms, standing up and pulling his clothes off to jump into the water after Phil.


	8. 1- 8.The One Where They Share a Bed and Tell Each Other Secrets

"Do I even want to know?" Finn asked, watching the two of them stumble through the door well past midnight, out of breath and still dripping wet. Technically, they weren't even supposed to be out of bed right now, so they'd had to run across the campgrounds while also trying not to be seen by any counselors that would give them trouble about it. Dan's heart was racing in his chest.

"Definitely not," Phil said, shaking his head and making water droplet fly everywhere with a mad grin on his face. "You wouldn't believe the things we've done. Right, Dan?"

"Right," Dan agreed. "Like...breaking laws and running away from S.W.A.T team helicopters. It was wild."

Phil laughed as he dug through his suitcase in search of a towel. It was quite possibly the most carefree Dan had ever seen him; which wasn't saying a lot considering they hadn't known each other that long, but it was still relieving, knowing he wasn't always so moody. 

"Fine, keep your dirty secrets," Finn accused. "And by the way, thanks for just leaving me; no heads up, not even a note or anything. True friends, really."

"You totally didn't even notice," Dan said. 

"It still hurts," Finn said with a dramatic hand to the heart. "I met you first, you know, and now you're being swept away by this guy. Not good for my reputation."

"I think some disappointment is just what you need to deflate your oversized ego." Phil was pulling a shirt over his head as he said this, and Dan made a point in studying his hands intently. "For everyone's sake."

They were saved the most likely dramatic response that Finn had at the ready, by the door opening once again, and Emery sliding into the room swiftly, as if he didn't want to be seen. He looked startled at the fact that the three of them were all awake, and apparently having a full conversation. "Oh. Hey."

"Hi," Phil said in an amused voice, smirking. "What's got you out so late?"

Emery turned slightly red at the question, and shrugged. "I don't know. Out." He walked past them with his head turned towards the ground, stooping down to grab his bag and taking out some night clothes. "I think I'm gonna go to bed early tonight, what about you guys?"

It was very obvious there was something he was trying to hide from all of them, but they didn't press him for an explanation like they normally would. But Dan made eye contact with Phil, and they smirked at each other across the room.

None of them felt too much like staying up until three in the morning tonight, so it was a mutual agreement on all their parts to just turn out the lights and try to get some actual sleep that night.

It was weird. The room was dark, outside was mostly quiet, save the gentle whisper of trees brushing together and chirping insects, and his bed was soft and warm. But Dan could not get his heart to settle in his chest. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind would drift off towards the events from barely an hour earlier, and it would make him smile and wonder if it would ever happen again, and he was being so goddamn pathetic. Wasn't he? This was not the way he did things; he didn't pine, and he definitely didn't let people get to his head like this, it was agitating and made his skin crawl, but  
sometimes...sometimes it was good. Sometimes, he could let it take over and just feel something. He didn't have to be such a downer all the time, he was allowed to have a crush.

God, a fucking crush, who even was he anymore?

In the back of his mind, he couldn't quite shake the words Chris had said to him, about him changing because of this place. 

It wasn't a good idea to get so involved in this, he thought. Because if he got too attached, it would be that much harder on him when he had to leave. He was supposed to hate it here, he was supposed to want to leave and say 'fuck you' to everyone here with no regret and no fucking remorse, but there was a certain pair of blue eyes that would make him hesitate. And that wasn't good.

He rolled on to his back and squeezed his eyes shut. Now was not the time to start breaking down over something so small. He should just get some sleep, and tomorrow...he had no idea what he was going to do tomorrow, but it would have to be something different than what he was doing right now. 

Thud.

His eyes snapped open at the dull noise, immediately assuming there was some wild animal or wayward serial killer in their cabin ready to eliminate them. But the darkness became easier to look through, and he saw it was just Phil. He was probably just heading out to the bathrooms, so Dan shut his eyes again, but something touched his shoulder and he bolted upright, trying to decide what would be the most effective weapon as quickly as possible.

"Sorry," Phil apologized quietly, pulling his hand back. "I didn't know if you were awake, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," Dan breathed out, though his racing pulse said otherwise. He placed a hand to his chest and tried to calm down. "Just...try and refrain from sneaking up on me in the complete dark next time?"

"Deal," Phil said with a small smile. "So, weird question. Can I share your bed with you?"

It took a few seconds for the words to make any sense to Dan, and when they did, he was still at a loss for words. This was the complete opposite of what he was supposed to be doing.

But damn, how could he just refuse an offer like that? It wasn't everyday a cute guy was asking to climb under the covers with you, and he'd be damned if he let the opportunity slip through his fingers.

"Why?" He asked, mostly because he didn't want to sound too eager about it. "Is something wrong with yours?"

Phil smiled and shrugged. "I really hope not. I just...kinda don't wanna stop hanging out with you."

And that totally did not make his stomach erupt in butterflies, what kind of loser would that make him?

"Has anyone ever told you you're a bit sentimental?" Dan questioned. He didn't know why he was trying to stall for so long; it was just two friends sharing a bed, he'd slept in the same bed as Chris for years. It wasn't weird. 

"Maybe once or twice," Phil said, "but I prefer different terms, like 'fun', or 'influential'. Or 'dangerously overenthusiastic'."

"Do you even know what sentimental means?"

Phil shook his head slowly. "Just figured I'd play along. You use too many big words when you speak, you know that?"

Dan bit his lip to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. "Is it a turn off or something?"

"Oh god no, quite the opposite." He smiled at Dan's eye roll.

It seemed he wasn't too keen on taking no for an answer, so Dan dutifully squished himself against the wall so Phil could climb under the covers next to him. The term 'tight fit' was the epitome of an understatement; they were touching from shoulder to ankle, and Dan could swear he felt every breath that Phil took. He was very aware of himself, of how much he moved around and how loud his heart seemed to be beating inside his chest. He felt overly self-conscious about everything he did right now. 

"I fucking hate it here." Phil's soft-spoken words broke the stiff silence with an even stiffer sense of remorse, and Dan turned his head to look at him. Phil was smiling still, but it seemed a lot more agitated. 

"Yeah?" Dan asked, only slightly thrown off. "Not really the vibe I got from you. I thought you've been going here for years?"

There was a thin strip of moonlight painted across Phil's throat and down across his chest, and Dan focused on it unconsciously; it was kind of becoming a habit, staring at that tiny details of some other person. He wanted to touch it, reach out and drag his fingertips over the stream of light, but he didn't because...well, that would just be rude, wouldn't it?

"I don't know why," Phil continued, scratching at a spot on his neck. "Like, the first year I came here, it was great. I met some new people and learned some new things. Maybe it's because I was lot more sociable back then or whatever, but...now it mostly just feels like a chore. Seeing the same people over and over, and don't get me wrong, we've all been through a lot together and I don't think I'd be the same person I am today without them, but they're all, going in a different direction than I'm aiming for, you know? And it's much harder keeping up with them all the time because they want to drink and have fun and tell stories for the rest of their lives, like they'll be doing this same thing until they're fifty years old, and it's just slightly harrowing. I know this won't last forever, we won't be carefree, rebellious teenagers for eternity, so what's the point in pretending? Doesn't that seem depressing to you? 'Living like there's no tomorrow'. But there is, and by the time they realize it, they have no idea what the fuck they're supposed to do with themselves because there's no booze and no campfire and no summer friendships to help them, and I don't want that." He took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. "Sorry. That was a lot more venting than I was planning on doing."

"No, it's fine," Dan said. "Seems like you needed to get it off your chest."

"Kind of, yeah," Phil said with a small laugh. He seemed to be trying to play the whole thing off, like it didn't bother him as much as he'd let on. "You're very easy to tell all my secrets to."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"It could be." He closed his eyes for a second. "Who know the things things I might say? I could embarrass myself."

"Not that hard for you, then," Dan said, and Phil smacked his shoulder. 

"Smart ass," he said, but the smirk that he gave took the heat from his words. "It's your turn now."

"For what?" Dan asked. 

"To tell me something about you. I bared my entire soul to you, now you have to pay the price."

Dan shook his head. "That was not the deal, we never agreed to this."

"Oh, come on," Phil pouted. "You're not being fair."

"I mean," he scoffed, wondering how he managed to get himself into situations like this, "there's nothing very interesting about me, you'd be disappointed."

"Give me your worst."

This was exactly what he'd been praying against, getting close and personal with someone who was only temporary. As of right now, the two of them were at a comfortable distance, not strangers but not best friends either, and that was where they needed to stay, because Dan couldn't let him under his skin, he just couldn't. He needed a set of fucking rules, or anything that would make this easier to stay away from. 

But Phil was staring at him expectantly, and it was dark and quiet outside, and what the hell did he have to lose? His dignity and validation were shattered to hell at this point, one more flaw couldn't possibly make things any worse. 

"Fine." He sighed heavily, mentally preparing himself. "If you'll believe it, I didn't actually come here to become one with nature, or make new friends or whatever."

"You don't say?" Phil grinned at him sarcastically. 

"It's true," Dan said with a small smile. "I actually...got into some trouble. And my parents thought sending me here would cleanse me of my sinner ways."

Phil paused for half a second, taking in what he'd said and trying to decide if he was being serious or not. "Like," he said slowly. "'You broke your neighbors window and your parents had to pay for it' trouble, or 'juvenile detention center' trouble?"

"Sort of in between, I guess?" He shrugged, like it wasn't a big deal, like he didn't regret it with everything he had. "It was just, a medium-sized fire."

"A fire?" He could already see the apprehension crossing Phil's face. "You set a fire? Why?"

"It was an accident," he argued. "Sort of."

"And what do you mean by 'sort of'?"

"I mean that it wasn't entirely my fault." Dan rubbed his eyes in agitation; he hated having to keep explaining this to people, he should just stop mentioning it. "I didn't think it would set the whole place on fire, it was...I didn't mean for it to catch on the curtains. It wasn't supposed to go past the paper I was using."

And the last thing he expected was for Phil to start giggling. "You're kind of crazy."

Dan rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop his grin. "Doesn't that make you kind of crazy too, for hanging out with me?"

He didn't answer at first, and Dan started getting a bit anxious under his calculating stare, but he was still smiling at him, so it wasn't too bad. 

"I think I can deal with that."

***

He woke up early again. 

There was something about this place that was screwing up his internal alarm clock, because there hadn't been a day in his life since he'd turned fifteen that he even dreamed of waking up before ten o'clock, unless it was completely necessary. He hated it. 

From where he was laying, the sunlight slanting through the window just barely touched his face, and he had to squint to keep his eyes from watering. 

There was an arm wrapped around his stomach, making his shirt ride up slightly, and all of his blankets had been stolen in the middle of the night, wrapped tightly around a still-sleeping Phil. It took his tired brain a few seconds to remember exactly what had happened last night, and the memory made his heart jump and his stomach drop. 

"Mornin'." He hadn't noticed Emery standing across the room until he spoke, muffled around the toothbrush hanging from his mouth. He still managed to smirk. "You need some privacy?"

"Fuck off," Dan shot back a him sleepily. He managed to disentangle himself from Phil's hold without waking him up; he needed a shower, and possibly a way to forget about last night. Or parts of it, at least. 

Emery grabbed a glass of water, took a sip, and opened the window to spit it back out into the bushes. "Honestly, no harm done. You could have warned a guy though, committing the act with everyone asleep in bed--"

"I said to fuck off." He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but he wasn't in the mood right now. "We didn't do anything."

Em held his hands up in surrender, but Dan could see the confusion on his face. "It's called teasing, Danny, nothing personal."

He left after that, and Dan leaned up against the wall, breathing deeply and trying to calm down. He didn't even know why he was so worked up right now; nothing bad had happened, he didn't have any reason to start snapping at everyone who talked to him. He was being dramatic, and only making things worse for himself. 

Phil shifted in his sleep. He looked peaceful, completely opposite of the troubled guy from last night. Dan watched him for only a second before scolding himself and marching out the door to the showers. 

He was stuck in his own mind, going in circles around everything he'd wrong, so it was a while before he noticed people were staring at him. 

The kind of staring where you knew they'd just been talking about you a second before, but didn't want you to overhear. He slowed down his angry walking and dropped his eyes to his feet, pretending like their insolent gazing wasn't drilling holes of paranoia into his bones.

What had he done? Had Nick finally caved in and told everyone about what had happened between them that night? That had to be it, there was nothing else that would make them all take such a sudden interest in him, was there? Just when he'd thought it had died down...

He was almost to the showers, almost hidden from their nonstop staring, and then...well, he'd have at least fifteen minutes of freedom before having to show his face again. 

"Hey." 

Dan stopped dead in his tracks, heart thrumming in his chest as he turned to face the dark-skinned boy who'd approached him. He wore a smile full of nothing but the mirth that matched his cold eyes. 

"Dan Howell, right? The new kid in town," the guy continued steadily, tauntingly. "Everyone's been talking about you. Is it true, then?"

He crossed his arms to hide his shaking hands. "What are you on about?"

"Just trying to settle some rumors," the guy said reassuringly, but the way he said it made it clear he was having too much fun with this. "Wouldn't want any bad blood around here, yeah? So...is it true that you slept with Nick Palmer and Phil Lester?"

"What?" He hadn't been expecting to hear Phil's name. As far as he knew, no one else really seemed to notice them at all, and the fact that they immediately came up with the idea that they were fucking was sort of crazy. "Where'd you hear that?"

"It's not a big deal, really," the guy said, "I mean, summer is all about trysts and flings, but you might wanna slow down. Two guys in less than a month? You'll get a reputation."

"Shut up," Dan snarled, shoving past him towards the showers once again. The staring was much worse than before and he really needed to get out of there, before he punched someone in the face. God, they would fucking deserve it. 

It didn't matter that he'd known it was coming; he'd been warned about Nick, that was his fault and he could understand that. But Phil had no reason to be dragged into this. Not only that, it would probably make him wary of Dan's presence again. No one wanted to hang out with the social outcast, especially if it would drag their own name through the mud. 

The showers were empty, to his relief, and he turned the water up all the way, until it burned his skin an angry red color. He leaned his head against the cold wall and breathed out heavily. 

Today was not going to be his day.


	9. 1- 9.The Epic Prank War With Cabin Three, pt. 1

Unhelpfully enough, it didn't get any better from there.

The day had barely started, and Dan was already the center of attention, the topic of every single whispered conversation he stumbled upon and the focus of every pair of eyes that glanced at him with smug awareness. Like they knew all the details of his life and how badly he was living it. Well, the thing was, he really didn't fucking need their input. He already knew how bad his life was, and their opinions and snarky comments were not doing a goddamn thing to change that.

He'd spent the better part of an hour hiding in the showers after being interrogated about his allegedly wild sex life. It was about the only place here where he didn't have to make direct contact with anyone who could potentially make him feel even worse. He could have just gone back to his cabin, back to his bed with the sheets pulled over his face until the summer was over. But then he remembered Phil, who was probably still asleep and completely unaware of the drama he was apart of, and Dan really didn't want to go back and be the one to break it to him. They'd just barely gotten back on good terms with each other and now there was even more problematic shit he'd have to deal with. If making new friends was always this hard and anxiety-inducing, then he was very glad he hadn't done it before. 

This was how he dealt with things: avoid the problem until it either wore itself out or blew up in his face completely. He didn't know how longer he'd be able to keep it up, being in such close quarters with the very problem itself, but it sure as hell beat facing it head on. 

The morning was almost over, and Dan was hidden behind one of the activities buildings, away from pretty much everyone. His back hurt from being pressed against the wall for so long and he was sweating bullets through his T-shirt, but at least he was alone. 

He had no fucking idea what to do. There was no easy or sensible way to handle this, not without some major confrontation on his part, and that was fucking number one on his very long list of Don't Fucking Do That. As soon as he thought he'd caught a break, and let his guard down, the entire thing shattered and left him confused and miserable. He hated it here. He hated the mood swings he had recently acquired, hated feeling bad about everything he did at any given moment, and he hated that he kept falling for the illusion of placidity. He needed out. 

His head was a wicked turmoil of doubt and self loathing, but he tensed up when he heard footsteps, someone who was trying to be discreet but not quite making it. Great, just what he needed, someone sneaking up on him. 

"Please go away," he said, loud enough for whoever it was to hear him. "I'm trying to hide from my responsibilities in peace."

"Aren't we all?" Nick stepped around the corner. He looked guilty, and that was reassuring, but Dan still cursed under his breath and wished he were literally anywhere else. This was not what needed to be added to his shit pile right now. "I-I can go if you want me to--"

"Yes, I want you to."

"Okay." Nick crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't move to leave. "Can I just say I'm sorry?"

Dan smiled and looked over at him. "For what? Sleeping with me? That wasn't your fault. Telling everyone about it?"

"I didn't tell anyone."

"Then how, exactly, does the entire camp know?"

"Look," Nick said, stepping closer. "I know you have this mental image of my 'reputation' or something, but I don't sleep with people so I can blackmail them if they don't do everything I say. If people find out, it's because that person told them. I don't know where it got twisted up, so that now I'm the bad guy, but I've never told anyone about anything I've ever done with someone else. You have to know how manipulative teenagers can be."

Dan stared at his knees, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that, Nick had a point. The only problem was, only four other people knew about what had happened: Finn, Emery, Phil and Chris, and each seemed as unlikely as the last to go spreading rumors about him. He barely knew his bunk mates enough for them to want to ruin his summer so maliciously, and Chris didn't even know Nick's name. So unless someone else had seen them leave together, or unless Nick was lying to his face, then that was the only other option. 

"This isn't me believing you," Dan said after a moment, staring at Nick harshly. "but...if you're telling the truth, I'll forgive you."

Nick smiled gratefully. "I'm still sorry," he said. "I didn't want things to end up so shitty for you."

"Yeah, well, I'm used to it."

So maybe he didn't hate Nick so much now, but he still froze when the guy decided to sit next to him. This didn't make them friends or anything, did it? Dan felt like he had enough of those already, and anyways, Nick wouldn't be his first choice. But hey, what the fuck else could possibly go wrong?

"So is the other part true?" Nick asked, very ungracefully. "Did you sleep with Phil Lester, too?"

"You know, the entire reason I've been hiding behind this building is so no one would ask me that exact question." His tolerance was running incredibly low, and he didn't think he would last through whatever interrogation Nick was prompting towards. "Does it really matter anyway?"

"No," Nick said. "But it's an interesting concept. He's not well-known for his promiscuous ways."

"I didn't sleep with him. We're just friends." And now he felt bad all over again, thinking about how Phil was probably dealing with this and how Dan was just hiding from the whole thing. It wasn't very helpful of him, leaving his friend to deal with the mess all by himself. If they were even friends anymore. 

"You know it's all bullshit, right?" Nick said, and Dan looked over at him. "Most of these people wouldn't even know your name if it weren't for those rumors. You shouldn't care about their opinions so much."

"I don't care," Dan explained, because it was true. People probably thought he was hiding because he was scared to face them, but he didn't care what they thought. "It's just.... disheartening. They care too much about other people's business, and then get angry when someone else does the same thing to them. Like, an endless cycle of backstabbing and spreading lies. It's bad enough in high school, I figured it wouldn't be a problem here."

He knew he sounded super fucking fake deep and whiny, but it was true and he didn't know how else to explain it. Nick nodded slowly, probably trying to understand what he'd said, but he didn't respond. 

They sat in silence for a while, and Dan was honestly kind of grateful for it, even if it left him with his less than positive thoughts. 

Maybe it was Fate. Maybe every single horrible thing he was being put through was a major sign from whatever higher power, telling him to get his life together. If it was, they weren't being very specific about what it was that needed to be fixed, and he wasn't very good at guessing. Most likely, he was just making things a million times worse for everyone, and that wasn't going to change too soon; he was reckless and oblivious by nature. 

It was sort of ironic, because he tried his hardest to lay low and not draw too much attention to himself, but the harder he tried, the more it went in the complete opposite direction. He figured it wasn't his outstanding personality that made people notice him, but that left the question of what exactly did. His boyish good looks, his total inability to walk three feet without embarrassing himself? He just wished it wasn't there, he wanted to disappear into the background of their radars for the next forever. That would be great.

"It's probably not my place to give you advice on this," Nick said suddenly, breaking the tense quiet and watching Dan shrewdly, "but maybe you should just talk to him. If you don't want to mess things up entirely. I think sitting here by yourself is inherently making it worse." Oh yeah, the Phil thing. 

"Trust me, I know." Dan sighed. He dug his face into his hands, blocking the sun and the trees and everything else he hated from his sight. It made him feel slightly less nauseous. "I'm not good at that stuff. Confrontation, and... talking about feelings. He probably won't listen anyway." Not to mention, even if he did hear Dan out, Dan had no clue what exactly he would say. Sorry seemed entirely too overrated at this point. 

"Okay, well, I agree with whatever decision you make," Nick said, "but I don't think you have much longer to think about it."

Dan looked up at him and was going to ask what he meant, but he saw that someone else was rounding the corner of his hiding place, and yeah...

"Hey," Phil said slowly, staring at Nick warily before shifting his gaze to Dan. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Nope," Nick said shortly as he stood up and brushed dirt off his jeans. "I was leaving, actually." And with another fleeting look at Dan, he left them alone. 

There was a very suffocating minute of pure awkward and guilty silence between them, and Dan was reeling quite harshly at the suddenly change of events. Phil sat down in the spot that Nick had just left, but he seemed a lot more content with staring at his hands than saying anything, and Dan sure as hell was not bringing up the glaring problem between them. 

He had to know. If he'd gone all day without hearing a single word about his alleged sex life with Dan, then he really must have been out of tune with the world around him. 

"So..." Phil spoke lightly, his voice completely empty of the anger or accusation that Dan had been expecting. "Were we just a one night stand, or do you expect casual sex from now on? Apparently, people are betting on us, and I've got 20 dollars on the line."

Despite his self-hatred, and the constant stream of commentary in his mind telling him he was a fuck up and a bad friend, Dan couldn't stop himself from laughing. "God, you're a moron," he said softly. 

Phil smiled at him. "I'm sure you mean that in a very nice way." He leaned back until his head was resting against the wall, and said, "I know you didn't start those rumors. I'm not mad or anything. And honestly, it's not the worst thing that's ever been said about me."

That was a very hard thing to believe, and Phil must have known that because when Dan arched a questioning eyebrow at him, he just shrugged and didn't elaborate. 

"Okay," Dan said evenly. "So I've been hiding all day for nothing?"

"Pretty much."

He felt kind of stupid now, for being so overdramatic, but it was a small feeling that didn't come close to the relief that washed through him. He wished it was this easy all the time, to talk to people and have them actually understand his side of things. Being friends with Phil was going to seriously raise his expectations of what he expected from other people. It was slightly unnerving. 

"I'm still sorry," Dan said, looking over at him. "I didn't think anyone would assume something like that."

"Goodness, Dan, you do remember that it was me who crawled into your bed, right? If anything, it was my fault."

That...was a good point, actually. 

It was right then that Dan realized he didn't even care that people knew about him and Nick. He'd been so much more worried about Phil hating him, and now that he knew it wasn't a problem anymore, it felt like the biggest fucking weight had been lifted off of his chest. 

"I just wonder why they would think we were sleeping together at all," Phil went on, staring off in thought. "I mean...we don't give off that kind of vibe, do we? Are we really gay together?"

"Oh man, I really hope we are," Dan said mockingly serious. "That would save me a lot of trouble."

Phil started giggling, and after that, any remaining tension between them seemed to disappear. 

Dan wanted to keep this for as long as he could, this sudden and intense need to trust someone so completely; Phil was trying to make himself a part of Dan's life, and if the last few weeks were anything to go by, he was very much succeeding. 

***

As soon as Dan woke up, he knew something was wrong. 

He felt strangely heavy, and at first he thought it was just his still sleepy mind struggling to fully wake up, but when he tried moving to get out of bed, he....stuck.

"What the--" It was the weirdest and most uncomfortable situation he'd ever been in, and he didn't even know what was going in, which of course only made him panic even more.

"What the fuck?" That was Emery's confused voice, and Dan assumed they were in the same predicament. "Is this...honey?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Finn growled from his bed, and a second later there was a dull thud as he rolled off of it onto the floor. 

Dan sat up the best he could and stared at his bare arms with a range of emotions he could barely comprehend as they passed: worry and embarrassment and anger and disgust, all wrapped up in his chest and making him tense up. What the fuck was happening right now?

His entire bed was covered in amber honey, and he could feel it sliding down the back of his neck from his hair. His fucking hair, he had no idea how he was going to be able to wash that out. And when he looked away from his own personal space, he realized the entire floor of the cabin was slick with it too, even parts of the wall. His roommates looked as bad as he probably did. 

"The door's jammed," Phil spoke up from where he was pulling at the door insistently. He didn't even seem too bothered by honey all over and around him. "Someone's locked us in."

"Dammit," Em swore as he tried to rub his arms and legs clean. "I bet this was fucking Peter, I'll kill him."

"What the hell is going on?" Dan said. He shoved his wet blankets to the side and reluctantly stood, ignoring the way his feet sank into the floor. "What is happening right now, this is....this is really fucking gross."

"It's a prank," Finn said. He looked the worst of them all with his entire face covered in the stuff, and the furious expression he wore did nothing to alleviate the growing frustration. "Stupid fucking Peter Wells in cabin 3, he always does this shit to somebody every year, and it's never funny."

Phil tried the door again, but as much as he violently twisted the handle, it wouldn't open. Dan was starting to freak out a little bit; he absolutely hated being in situations he couldn't control, and this was slowly wearing away at his already thin sense of calm. 

"Move," Emery said, and nudged Phil out of the way to try and most likely break down the door himself, but just as his hand touched the wood, it swung open. 

It looked like the whole camp was circled around their cabin, pointing and laughing at the four sticky teenagers stumbling through the door, and Dan was too wound up to even see the innuendo in this situation. 

"This is just fucking disgusting, Peter," Finn said through his teeth, shaking his arms to dislodge any stray drops. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Oh, come on," said a tall red-head with freckles covering his face and neck, out of breath with laughter. "You have the new guy, you had to have known he'd be the target."

Dan realized they were talking about him, and flushed as he stared down at his hands. He was really fucking sick of everyone going after him just because it was his first year here. And not only him, but his bunk mates too, which only made him feel guilty as hell. 

"Well," Phil said, honey sliding down the side of his cheek slowly. "I guess we should hit the showers before all the hot water is gone. We'll have to deal with the mess in the cabin later."

They pushed past the crowd of people (who thankfully moved out of their way in order to avoid the mess) and headed to the showers. 

45 minutes and half a bottle of shampoo later, Dan decided he was as clean as he was going to get for right now, and stepped out of the shower with a towel around his waist. Finn and Emery were still in their own stalls, but Phil was standing at one of the sinks, vigorously scrubbing his shirt with a bar of soap. He grimaced when Dan stood beside him. 

"Officially clean?" he asked. 

"As I'll ever be," Dan said with a sigh. "I've got honey in places that definitely should never be exposed to such horrid stickiness."

Phil laughed and went back to scrubbing. "Well, it's all apart of the camp experience, I guess. The new kids always get pranked first, it's a law."

"How many times am I going to be 'initiated', exactly?"

"If I remembered, I would tell you."

He really hoped this would be the worst of it, because if things got anymore out of hand, he would probably lose his fucking mind. It was bad enough being surrounded by all these new people with crazy, all-over-the-place personalities, but having them specifically target him for their rumors or pranks wad something he would much rather not be apart of. He could not be the only new person here. 

"Just don't take it too much to heart," Phil said, turning the sink off and wringing out his shirt. Dan watched him idly. "They're not out to get you or anything, they just want to have fun. And it's what they're used to. So don't, rip their throats or anything. Unless they really deserve it."

Dan smirked. "And when will they really deserve it?"

"When they hog tie you and leave you in the woods until three in the morning." Phil laid his shirt out across the counter and turned towards Dan, crossing his arms over his bare chest. His eyes flicked down to Dan's collarbone. "You missed a spot," he said, reaching out and wiping off whatever goo was still sticking to his skin. 

The room was suddenly stifling, and Dan realized that Phil wasn't moving, that his fingertips were tracing his neck, his throat, his shoulders slowly, leaving behind hot trails in their path. The sound of the still running showers went dull in his ears, and he swallowed thickly, trying to calm his racing heart. 

Holy fuck, he was blanking out, and he seriously could not let his guard down right now because he would end up doing something very stupid. 

"You okay?" Phil asked, breaking through his hazy mind and making him focus, even though Phil's hand was still on him, on his fucking stomach now. Did he have any kind of fucking boundaries?

"Peachy," Dan muttered. Maybe he should have been questioning what exactly was going on, but that would probably make Phil pull away, and he was enjoying this a little too much for it to end just yet. Hell, they'd already slept in the same bed, this was tame compared to that. 

Were they getting closer? Phil seemed a step farther into his personal space than before, his hand sliding around Dan's waist, and Dan was not fucking complaining about the change of pace. His chest felt tight with anticipation, making his pulse jump and his face flush. Phil leaned up just the tiniest bit and Dan would swear he could feel him breathing, there couldn't be more than an inch between--

"I'm pretty sure there will forever be honey in my roots." Emery walked around the corner of the showers, running a hand through his hair angrily. 

Dan and Phil jumped away from each other so fast, they nearly fell on the water soaked floor. Dan felt his face burning red in embarrassment at being caught in such a compromising position, but Phil gave Emery an impatient look that went unnoticed. 

That couldn't have been real. Dan shook his head and went to get dressed, conveniently giving him a reason to be by himself for a little while. There was no way Phil had actually been going to kiss him at that very moment. And there was no way he would have let it happen.  He couldn't have let it happen. 

But there was that stupid fucking voice in the back of his mind that kept saying the complete opposite, and even though he pushed into the very back of his mind to forget about it, he knew it was right.


	10. 1-10.The Epic Prank War With Cabin 3, pt. 2

Finn was the only one of them that was still angry. 

A few days later, all the hype about Peter's ingenious prank on them had all but disappeared, and everything was slowly settling back into regularity. Even Dan himself was moving on. But there was barely a moment where Finn wasn't griping about the indecency of it all, or cursing Peter and his friends straight to hell. It was a mood killer. 

And Dan understood it; there was something ridiculously irritating about having someone like that get one over on you. But there was nothing they could actively do about it, at least nothing that was entirely logical. 

"All I'm saying is, how are we ever gonna stop the reign of terror if we let them get away with it?" Finn dropped his fork onto his plate and stared at the three of them as he lectured them furiously. "We just need a, a revenge plan or something. It doesn't have to be elaborate or anything, just something to show them they went too far."

"You're completely mental," Phil laughed at him. Peter was sitting halfway across the room, and Phil pointed to him vaguely. "Kids like that don't learn anything by us retaliating. It just makes them do worse things. Do you want them to torture us all summer?"

"He's right," Dan said, and Phil smiled gratefully at him. He cleared his throat. "And it was a one-time thing anyways. If we leave him alone, he'll do the same."

Finn sighed heavily, as if their reasonable ideas were frustrating him. 

After everything that had gone down, Dan was more than ready to just drop it and forget it had ever happened. His mind was a little trippy with the details, and he was still trying to successfully wrap his brain around it all, but the sooner it was in the past, the sooner he could start to breathe a little easier. 

Phil kept giving him these looks, and Dan had no fucking clue if he had always done that and he was just now noticing, or if it was because of the almost-kiss.

The idea of kissing Phil, if they had been alone together or if Emery hadn't interrupted them, was....confusing. He would like it, he already knew that much, but he didn't know if it would be worth it. He was always second-guessing himself around the guy, it was exhausting keeping track of everything he did or said to make sure he didn't end up doing something dumb to make Phil angry with him again. And for what? For a friendship that would last a few weeks before they never saw each other again? Or casual hooking-up that would lead nowhere when they had to leave? None of it sounded appealing or worth the effort he was putting in, but Dan was so past even the idea of cutting things off by now and it was upsetting. 

He didn't know what the fuck he wanted with Phil, he just didn't want it to end. 

"I don't want to be That Kid this summer," Finn continued, and Dan dragged his mind away from his stupid hormone-driven angst ridden thoughts. "The one who stood by and let that embarrassing shit happen to him and did nothing about it. Do you?"

"Its not that deep, Finn," Emery said, more focused on putting jam on his toast than the conversation topic. "Call them an asshole and move on, for your own health."

"There's just no point," Phil explained patiently, making Finn scoff. "They're dumb teenagers, and if you react to them, then they'll keep trying to make you react."

"Wow, thanks," Finn said sarcastically. "They aren't fucking primary school bullies, you sound like my mum."

"He's not gonna let it go," Dan said.

Phil shrugged. "Fine, but you're on your own."

"Come on, guys, you can't be serious." Finn gave them all pleading looks. "We were all humiliated, and you can't tell me that you'll let something like that slide and not do anything about it."

"I'm just the new guy," Dan said dismissively. "So don't try to drag me into this 'prank war' of yours."

"This is technically your fault anyway," Finn said, pointing an accusing finger at Dan. "You're like, obligated to help exact revenge."

"Leave him alone," Phil told him. "You can't force him to be apart of your highly flawed attack team."

"Don't defend his honor, just cause you two are apparently fucking each others brains out."

"You're a fucking prick," Phil said sharply, tossing a piece of soggy toast at Finn. Dan tried not to look too awkward in his seat, but his red face probably gave him away. "We aren't doing anything." 

Phil gave Dan a guilty look; it seemed he felt just as bad about the whole rumor problem, like it was his fault. Dan didn't know how to tell him otherwise. 

"If any of us were even considering it," Emery said, "what would you have mind? Do you have a plan on what to do and how to do it?"

"Not yet," Finn said, making them all groan, "but I will! We just need to brainstorm and--"

"And nothing." Emery pushed his plate away and turned in his seat to stare at Finn. "It was a prank. A joke. None of us are hung up on it, don't you think that's enough to just leave it alone?"

"Whatever," Finn said, standing up. "You guys don't have to help me. I just thought you'd have my back." And then he left, stomping out of the cafeteria with enough flair to draw the eyes of everyone he passed. Dan watched in amusement. 

"Fucking drama queen," Emery muttered with a shake of his head and a wry smile, but he stood up to go after him. 

And now it was just him and Phil. Dan stared down at his plate blankly, letting the silence build between them at an alarmingly awkward rate. He didn't know what to say.

"Would you do it?" Phil spoke up, watching Dan look up at him with a curious stare. "If he had a plan and everything, would you help him do it?"

"Pull a stupid prank on people I barely know and know they'll keep terrorizing me for it?" Dan said sarcastically. "He has good intentions or whatever, but I'd rather give up in peace."

Phil nodded and looked away again. Dan went back to staring downwards. 

It wasn't like he wanted things to be so weird between them, but there weren't many viable options for him to try and fix it. It couldn't be that fucking hard, people did it all the time. Just, never him. 

He was completely out of his element right now. 

"So," Phil said, trying to revive the conversation again. "I don't know if it's something we're choosing to ignore, but we should probably talk. About what happened."

Dan felt his stomach tighten, but he tried not to let it show on his face. "What do you mean?"

Phil gave him a weird look. "If....if I freaked you out or something, I'm sorry. But you have to tell me, because I don't ever know what the fuck you're thinking or feeling. You're impossible to read."

"I don't know," Dan said. "I don't know what to say. We barely know each other, what am I--"

"Would you have let me kiss you?" Phil cut him off, staring at him curiously. Dan paused for a second, long enough for him to really think about it. He couldn't lie, it would be dumb and pointless. All of this was fucking pointless. 

"Yes." He shrugged. "But I would regret it."

"Wow," Phil said, smiling sardonically. He looked like he wanted to say a lot more, and Dan was terrified of that. "Appreciate the honesty."

"It's not like that, I just..." Dan sighed. "I don't know what I want, and I don't know what you want. I know I like hanging out with you, but I also know it goes a lot deeper than that, but what the fuck am I supposed to do about it? I don't want to start something and have it ripped away in a month."

He was trying so hard not to come off as heartless and rude, but he knew it wasn't working. 

"It doesn't have to mean anything, Dan."

"But I don't want it to not mean anything!" Dan said in exasperation. "You're a good fucking person, and I don't want to be fuck buddies and mess up what could be a great friendship."

He didn't even know if they were arguing or not, but Phil looked way too tense for his liking. He was shaking his head, staring at a spot on the table resolutely. "So we stay friends." It wasn't a question. 

"Is that so bad?"

"Just underwhelming." And that cut a lot deeper than Dan was expecting.

He watched silently as Phil stood and left, wishing that he was better at this. That things weren't always so fucked up for him. 

***

He found Finn a few hours later, kicking at rocks on the farther, emptier side of the lake. 

"Still plotting your revenge?" he asked carefully, unsure of how volatile he still was. But Finn smirked and shook his head. 

"No point. It's useless if I do it by myself." He shrugged. "Plus, I don't have any ideas. None that will top Peter, at least."

He sat down on one of the benches close by, and Dan joined him. 

It was humid, and Dan was sweating like crazy in his clothes; he was pretty much forced to wear shorts and sleeveless shirts now, to avoid heat stroke or whatever, and he was nowhere closer to being comfortable about it. He felt too exposed with all of that skin on display, and almost nothing he did eased his anxiety about it. 

"If..." Dan spoke, slowly. "If I did help with whatever crazy plan you come up with, would you do something for me?"

Finn looked up at him in surprise; apparently he hadn't thought Dan would risk it. "I guess. Depends on what it is."

"Just, stop bringing up the rumors about me and Phil," Dan said. "It makes things weird. Cause it didn't actually happen, you know."

"Okay," Finn said slowly. He obviously wasn't aware of the tension it caused, or how bad it made Dan feel, but he agreed anyway. "And that's it? You'll help me now?" 

Dan sighed, already half regretting his rash decision. He knew that it would backfire, and probably cause more trouble for them than they needed right now, but it was already done. Plus, there was a small weight lifted off his shoulders knowing Finn wouldn't keep teasing about the stupid rumors. "Yes, unfortunately, I'll help you."

Finn gave an excited whoop, and clapped Dan on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll hit them so hard, they won't know how to react."

It felt like there were stones sitting in the pit of his stomach the rest of the day after that. He wasn't very confident about their chances of succeeding in whatever scheme Finn was bound to throw together, and he knew the whole thing was stupid and childish in the first place. A prank war? Who the fuck even did things like that anymore?

Apparently him.

He was only doing this to stop the constant teasing about him and Phil. Even though they weren't even really on great terms right now, he wanted to do something to make things a little bit bearable. And even if that meant wrecking whatever peace he had left and putting a target on his back, it was better than sitting idly by.

By the time the sun had set, Finn had come up with a hundred different ideas, all of which Dan immediately shot down with various glares and swear words. Neither of them were very good at this brainstorming thing.

"You can't say no to everything," Finn complained. He was sprawled across Dan's bed like it was his own, using their temporarily empty cabin as a chance to plan without anyone overhearing. He didn't want Phil or Emery to start lecturing them again.

"And you can't possibly even locate enough wasps to fill their cabin. Even if you could, we'd probably go to jail for assault or something. They could be allergic and die. Do you want that on your conscious?"

Finn sighed, obviously unimpressed. "Buzzkill."

"If you're gonna half-ass this, then there's no point in even trying to do it," Dan said. "It needs to be something easy, but something they won't see coming, like....throwing all their clothes in the lake?"

"We'd go to jail for that, too, destruction of property or whatever."

Oh, now he was an expert on the law? "This is pointless," Dan muttered dryly, burying his face into his hands. He could already feel a headache coming on.

"What's pointless?" Phil walked into the cabin with his hair dripping onto his shoulders and a towel wrapped around his waist. Dan didn't know if he had just come from the lake or the showers and he very sincerely hoped it wasn't the latter, and that Phil hadn't walked across the whole camp with just that towel on. He shook the thought from his head before it became too distracting.

"Democracy," Finn answered easily. If Phil found that odd, he didn't comment on it, shrugging and heading to his bed to dig through his suitcase. Dan stared at his back, trying not to count the few freckles that dotted his pale skin, and so fucking what? Just because things were tense between them didn't mean Dan couldn't pine after him pathetically. It wasn't anything new.

A hard flick to his neck made him jump and whirl around to glare at Finn. "What?" he whispered angrily.

"You useless queer," Finn whispered back with a smirk. 

It was honestly so great that everyone knew about his obsession with Phil, so they could constantly tease him about it and call him out every chance they got.

Before he could embarrass himself anymore, or have Finn do it for him, Emery walked in. It was rare and slightly unsettling for all four of them to be in the cabin at the same time unless they were all asleep. And usually, Em was a cool guy who never gave much of a shit about anything, but now he was glaring. At Dan.

"You piece of shit traitor," he growled, shoving an accusing finger in Dan's face. Dan was used to being called a lot worse, but from Em, it was unexpected.

"Excuse me?" Dan asked. Would there ever be a time where he wasn't being accused of things he didn't do? "What did I do?"

"I know what you two are doing," he said, now glaring at Finn too. "I thought you didn't want to be apart of it? They're gonna tear you to shreds, and it will only be your fault."

"Stop trying to scare him," Finn protested. "Maybe if we had a little bit of help, we wouldn't--"

"You're helping him?" Phil cut in, fully dressed and staring at Dan with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked frustrated, and Dan felt guilty for some reason. As if he needed Phil's permission to do anything. "What happened to giving up in peace?"

Dan shrugged. "I changed my mind."

"'Changed your mind'?"

Emery ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "The point is, you guys are gonna get demolished. And we're all gonna be targeted because of it."

Dan stared stubbornly at his knees, refusing to agree with him. 

"So, what master plan have you two been coming up with all day, then," Phil asked, looking at Finn and ignoring Dan. Finn shrugged. 

"Well.....there's no master plan yet-"

"Oh, very reassuring," Em said sarcastically. 

"Just give it some time!" Finn insisted, glaring at Emery. "Rome wasn't built in a fucking day, or whatever, so go away and let us do this."

"No." Emery shook his head, looking more than ready to kill the both of them. "I have an idea."

It was a shocking statement, and even Finn was a little speechless. "You're gonna help us?" He asked.

"If I'm gonna get terrorized by this pricks anymore, I intend to deserve it," Emery said. "I still hate you guys, though."

"Fine," Phil spoke up, still sounding entirely too fed up with the whole situation. "I'll help, too."

"Awesome." Finn smiled at all of them, looking much more enthused than before. "This is awesome. We're gonna do this, and it's gonna be epic."

"Epically stupid, you mean," Phil said. He was kind of right. He caught Dan's eye for a second, giving him a stare that Dan couldn't even begin to comprehend, before walking out of the cabin again. Dan vaguely wondered where he was going. 

"So," Finn said, making Dan concentrate on the planning again. "Any fresh new ideas for the group?"

Emery stood in place for a long moment, pursing his lip as he thought, but then he smiled roguishly. "I might have one."

***

It was almost one in the morning, and Dan was already wired with tension and stress in general, but it was even worse when he was sneaking around the campground carrying a giant bag full of plastic cups. 

Emery was ahead of all of them, leading the way to Peter's cabin and hushing then when they were too loud. They were all in black, and along with the cups was two water jugs filled all the way to the brim, an assorted pack of sharpie markers, and a few tubs of super glue that Finn had brought along but hadn't explained. 

"This is amazing," Finn whisper-yelled. He was smiling widely, and from right next to him, Dan could feel he was shivering, too. From excitement or nerves, he didn't know. "I feel like I'm gonna vomit."

"Please don't," Phil warned quietly. 

It was dead silent, and every sound they made was too loud to their ears. Dan's heart was racing in his chest, and he was constantly looking around to make sure no one would spot them. 

After what felt like hours, they finally reached cabin 3; it looked almost identical to theirs on the outside, except for the hundreds of stickers that covered the front door. 

Per camp policy and safety codes, there were no locks on the cabins, and it was easier than anticipated to get all of them inside without waking Peter or his friends. 

"Okay, you guys know what to do." Emery whispered as gently as he could. "Let's get this done as fast as possible. I really don't want them to wake up in the middle of this."

Dan took one last shaky breath before opening the bag of cups as silently as possible. Slowly and methodically, he placed cups around the floor of the cabin, making sure there was no space between them. Right behind him, Phil was filling the empty cups with water. They started from the back and made their way to the door. 

Emery and Finn were stifling laughter, spending a good amount of time at each bed to draw on the sleeping campers faces with sharpies. 

"Why exactly did you agree to help him at all?" Phil whispered to Dan as they continued working. Dan paused for half a second to look up at him. 

"I made a deal with him."

"A deal," Phil repeated. "What kind of deal?"

Dan set down a few more cups without answering. He felt so unsure around Phil, like everything he said or did would earn him a disproving stare. "I said I'd help him if he stopped bringing up those rumors about me and you."

They reached the front of the cabin, and after filling the last cup with water, they stepped outside. Em and Finn were still busy, and when they finished, they would fill any remaining gaps with water cups. 

It was surprisingly cold outside for a summer night, and Phil wearing this long-sleeved shirt that fit his arms just fucking right. Dan kept his stare on his own shoes. 

"You really did that?" Phil asked after a minute or two of silence. Dan nodded. 

"Thought it would be best."

Phil kept staring at him, and in the dark, it was making Dan sort of jumpy. 

"I don't want to be 'just friends' with you," Phil said steadily, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know that. And you feel the same way, but you ignore it. Why?"

"Does there have to be a reason?" Dan asked none too convincingly. He didn't think this was the right time or place to talk about this, especially with Emery and Finn close enough to overhear, but he knew Phil wouldn't drop. 

"There's obviously a reason," Phil said.

Dan shrugged. "Because what's the point? In another month, we won't ever see each other again."

Phil laughed and shook his head. "You're so morbid sometimes," he said, and he stepped a bit closer into Dan's personal space. "We have phones....and there's the internet. I'll fucking send you letters if it means you'll kiss me right now."

Dan stopped breathing for second, unaware of anything around them except Phil who was steadily getting closer. This was it, whatever decision he made right would make or break the rest of the summer. He wanted this, had thought about way too many times to let it go now.

Phil kissed him, and there was nothing else to think about.


	11. intermission

August 10, 2:23am

"This would be disgustingly cute if you guys weren't teenagers skipping a raging party at two in the morning," Finn said in clear disapproval that Phil blatantly ignored. 

Dan was shoulder to shoulder with him on his bed, and neither of them had spoken much in the last few hours, but it wasn't uncomfortable or weird. Phil was reading, and Dan was playing a variety of games on his phone. 

"Parties are boring," Dan said in explanation. "I don't even know anyone there."

"You know me."

"Unfortunately," Dan smirked. 

Finn threw his hands up in frustration, a clear sign that he was tired of their weird excuses, but he didn't try and argue about it anymore. He was probably too drunk to drag them into the social world right now. "Whatever," he said. "Have fun, then."

The door closed and they were alone again. 

Phil tried to focus on his book again, but he was a bit distracted. Dan had told him that this was fine, that he wanted to hang out with Phil instead of his other friends, but Phil still worried he was being a little clingy. He really hoped Dan wasn't just trying to appease him.

"You could go if you want," Phil said, hoping he didn't sound as stupid as he felt. Was he trying to make Dan leave? "They want to hang out with you and stuff. I wouldn't mind if you went."

"Do you want me to go?" Dan asked. 

Phil shrugged. "I want you to do whatever you want to do."

Dan smiled slowly at him and raised an eyebrow. "Whatever I want?"

And that was...well, Phil was still getting used to Dan's boldness. Maybe he had started this whole thing between them, but he had never been with a boy who was always so sure about what he wanted. He fucking loved it. 

The cabin was empty, and they both knew that their bunk mates wouldn't be back in for another couple of hours at least, but they also knew not to push it. 

Dan hissed when Phil slid his hands under his shirt. "You're fucking freezing," he said, but he didn't push Phil away, and soon enough, his shirt was gone anyway. Phil kissed the top of his shoulder softly. 

They weren't rushing, and maybe they should have been, but sometimes Dan would make these noises and Phil couldn't help making him do it over and over again. 

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Phil said, wrapping an arm around Dan's waist to make him pause. Dan looked entirely unhappy about the interruption. 

"Right now?" He asked, out of breath and with glazed over eyes. Phil nodded. "Um, okay, what is it?"

"How many people have you, like....been with?" It had never occurred to him before now, and it really didn't even matter, but he couldn't take it back. Dan stared at him silently for a second, most likely still trying to calm down enough to answer. 

"I don't," Dan said. "I mean, I don't know. A few, I guess. Five or six." Phil nodded. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wouldn't have been a big deal anyway because he had no room to make comments. He'd already fucked up before that way. "Why so curious all of a sudden?" Dan asked in return. 

Phil couldn't even begin to answer that for himself. "You just...you make me a little nervous sometimes. You speak your mind, and you deal with things upfront, and you know what you want. And sometimes I think you're way too good for this. For me."

"'Too good'?" Dan scoffed lightly at him. "Honestly, I think this is right where I need to be right now."

"Mm," Phil smiled at him, letting his hands drift to Dan's thighs, to his waist and up to his shoulders. "That was kind of romantic, actually."

"Was it?" Dan said with a laugh, and Phil hummed a yes. 

They kissed, and it was slow, but Dan tangled his fingers into Phil's hair and moved his hips slowly, enough to make Phil tense in anticipation. 

He wasn't too worried about semantics right now.


	12. 2- 11.What To Do When Your Friend Stabs You In The Back

Dan hadn't spoken to Chris since his birthday, and if he was being honest, it was because he was slightly scared to. They hadn't exactly parted in a good way, and he didn't know if Chris was still mad at him or not. 

There was a phone in the big building at the front of the camp that people could use to call their friends or family, but since it was usually crowded with other campers who wanted to laugh and gossip and cry about their time here, Dan had never really put in an effort to use it. He had to try though, because as much as he was reluctant to face his friends anger or dismissal, he had some important stuff that he could only tell Chris.

So he was awake early in the morning, and luckily enough, the line wasn't completely wrapped around the building yet. It was his turn for the phone in less than an hour. 

He entered the phone number from memory, and while it was ringing, it occurred to him that Chris might not even pick up. He didn't usually answer calls from numbers he didn't know, and Dan had no way of telling him. But it was 7 in the morning, and Chris probably didn't care enough to look at the caller I.D. because a few moments later, he answered with a groggy, "Hello?"

"Hey," Dan said, trying to sound calmer than he actually was. "It's Dan. Sorry it's so early, but it's pretty much the only time I could get to the phone."

"What the fuck, Dan?" He said, and then paused to most likely check the time on his phone screen. "I hate you. You'd better have a good reason for this treachery."

Dan was entirely aware of the people waiting behind him, who could probably hear everything he said, but he tried to block it out as best as he could. "I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. For like, being kind of a douche bag to you when you came to visit. I didn't want you to hate me forever."

There was a long silence after that, and Dan almost had the sneaking suspicion that Chris had fallen asleep again, but then he sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "No, I was the douche bag. I saw you with all your new friends, and how you actually liked it there, and I..... I was jealous."

"Jealous?" Dan asked doubtfully. That was never a word he would use to describe his friend. "Of what?"

Chris laughed at that for some reason. "Dan, you have no idea how hard is it to even become your friend. I had to punch a guy in the face for you to talk to me. But you go to this camp that you said you'd hate, and now you have all these new people to hang out with it, and I thought it was a joke or something. You let them in so easily."

"Not like I had a choice," Dan said, and it was true. His bunk mates had pretty much forced him into being their friend, and he couldn't just ignore them the whole summer when they lived together.

"Okay, so we're not mad at each other anymore," Chris said, trying to change the topic. "Let's get to the good stuff. What've you been up to?"

And, well, Dan told him. He summed it up as much as possible, knowing he had to give up the phone soon so he wouldn't get in trouble. He just wanted to talk to his friend for a little while. 

"And how's that going?" Chris said after a Godzilla-like yawn. "You and Phil. Are you guys dating?"

"No." Dan sighed. "Yes. Maybe. It's complicated."

"I can tell," Chris laughed. "Hey, it can't be any worse than me and PJ."

"You and PJ?" Dan questioned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "What the fuck is going with you and PJ?"

It was Chris's turn to sigh. "I don't even know what's going on with me and PJ. I'm, like..... courting him, I guess."

If Dan had thought that Chris being jealous was out of character, the idea of him 'courting' a guy was even further down the list. In the last year, Dan had seen him with his arm slung around a variety of love interests that never lasted very long. He wasn't a commitment kind of guy. 

"That sounds terrifying," Dan said. 

"It very much is. He's so fucking frustrating. I want to hold his hand like all the time."

"Well, good luck with that," Dan said in amusement. "I should go. This is the only working phone in this place, and people are ready to shed blood for it."

"Okay," Chris said. "Call me again, don't disappear or something."

"I'll try not to."

"And have fun." He said it in the most suggestive way possible, and Dan rolled his eyes before hanging up the phone.

Outside was hot, despite it still being pretty early in the morning, and Dan huffed lightly before heading back to his cabin. He was happy that he hadn't lost Chris as a friend, and right now, pretty much everything was okay in his life. No one cared about him being the new kid anymore, and there was no doubt or tension about his situation with Phil. 

He passed the lake on his way, and standing on one of the wooden tables with a few other people, was Nick. They nodded at each other in silent acknowledgement, and Nick flashed a quick smile at him, before they turned away and went back to their separate lives. 

***

There was a problem. 

It wasn't big, but it was consistent. Dan liked his friends, even though they kept making him go outside and do stuff. They laughed at his jokes, and they didn't care if he left his boxers in the middle of the floor. It was a pretty good setup. 

The problem was that sometimes, he wanted to be left alone, and they never understood it. 

He could deal with the sun, and being social, but in small doses. Soon enough, he got to the point where it was too much of an effort, and his facade would slip, and people would get worried. He wasn't sick, he just felt drained. 

That was where he was now: hiding from pretty much everyone, curled up underneath one of the docks that lined the lakeshore. There was about three feet of dry ground there for him to sit on, and he'd probably been here for about an hour now, throwing rocks into the shallow water in front of him. He supposed they might be looking for him.

He would find them later and give them some flimsy excuse for his absence, but they wouldn't care. 

He was just coming up with the perfect story when someone's shoes appeared next to the dock, and a second later, Finn's head dropped down to look at him. "Oh jeez, there you are," he said. 

"You don't have to—," Dan started to protest, but Finn either didn't hear it or didn't care, because he folded himself into the small space right beside him. "Hi."

"Now this is depressing," Finn said, staring at the dark and warped wood above them with mild discomfort. "Where did you even get the idea to climb under here?"

"You'd be surprised what I'd do for some peace and quiet."

Finn laughed, entirely missing that subtle hint for him to leave, but Dan didn't try to force it anymore. If anything, it was better that there was only one of them instead of more. "I know you get tired of being around people all the time," Finn said. "But you're always so busy making heart-eyes at Phil. I wanna, like, talk and stuff."

Dan scoffed because he most definitely did not make heart-eyes at Phil, but knew it was pointless to argue about it. "Fine. Maybe I have been distant."

Finn wrapped his arms around his knees. "I mean, that's fine. You just have this penchant for vanishing into thin air. One second, you're there, and the next, it's like you never existed or something."

"I'll try to warn you next time," Dan said with a small smile.

"I actually wanted to tell you something," Finn said. He was staring at his shoes, and Dan had the worst suspicion that this wasn't gonna be good.

"Okay. Go ahead."

"I, um," Finn started. He rubbed his hands against his jeans nervously and took a deep breath. "I'm the one who told people about you sleeping with Nick and Phil."

At first, Dan doesn’t entirely comprehend that sentence, and it takes him a second to get angry. “You what?”

“Look, before you hate me—,” Finn begged, but Dan doesn’t let him finish, already unfolding himself from under the dock, ready to find another hiding spot as soon as possible. “Dan, please just let me explain.”

“I really don’t have to let you do anything,” Dan snapped at him. “You fucking saw how much that whole thing messed me up. Why did you think that was a good idea?”

“I don’t know.” Finn bowed his head, and Dan could see his shoulders shaking but it did nothing to spark his sympathy. “But I regret it so much, and I just need you to forgive me before I go crazy.”

He looked up, staring Dan in the eye with the most broken expression. Dan stared right back. 

“Fuck you,” he said, and turned to walk away. 

He was glad there weren’t many people outside today, because he didn’t want them to see him so spazzed out. His hands were shaking at his sides, and he balled them into fists to try and stop it, but it didn’t work. He didn’t know how long he could last without punching something. 

There were lots of places in the campgrounds that were secluded and hard to find, and Dan was rounding the corner in search of one when he ran into Phil. 

“Hi,” Phil said in amusement, grasping Dan’s shoulders to stop him from falling over. “You’re in a hurry.”

“Sorry,” Dan said. “Wasn’t paying attention.”

He wondered vaguely if he should tell Phil about Finn. He was king of apart of it, but he also knew that Phil hadn’t cared about the rumors that had spread about him. Especially now that they weren’t false. It was probably a good idea to leave it alone for now. 

“Where are you headed?” Phil asked him. “I was just on my way to the CTF meeting if you wanna join?”

“CTF?” Dan didn’t think he would ever get used to this place and it’s weird activities. 

“Capture the flag,” Phil answered. “They’re doing it tomorrow night, but sign up is today, and they’re going over the rules and stuff. It’s pretty fun.”

Dan shrugged. His anger was starting to disappear, another side effect that Phil had on him. “I’m not a sporty guy, you know.”

“You won’t even have to run, I promise.”

He knew he was already going to say yes, but he took a little longer to think about it. “I guess I could spare my evening.”

Phil smiled at him, before grabbing his arm and tugging him along. “Well, we’re gonna be late if we don’t go now.”

They walked all the way to the main building up front, and Dan desperately hoped they didn’t run into Finn on the way. Luck was on his side this time, because they reached it without complication. Inside was already pretty packed with other campers and a few counselors waiting for the meeting to start. 

“Sign up here,” Phil said, leading Dan to a row of tables with pieces of paper taped to them. “On my team, the blue one.” Dan signed his name, and that was apparently all it took to join.

The meeting started soon after, but Dan barely heard a word. He figured he would just get Phil to explain everything beforehand. 

His distraction method was working so far, but he didn’t know what he would do when he had to go back to his cabin and face Finn. He fucking hated how stupid he felt, how much he had trusted the person who was supposed to be his friend. It probably didn’t even matter, no one even cared about those rumors anymore, but he couldn’t stop remembering how hopeless he’d felt when it had first happened. And knowing that Finn had been the one to start it was enough to put Dan on edge. 

Of course, there was nothing he could do except throw a tantrum and never speak to Finn again. Not a good coping mechanism. 

Maybe he could request a cabin switch. Except he didn’t want to move into a new cabin with new people he didn’t know. He could file a complaint, but that was so tedious and a little bit extra, and it would be on record forever. 

He just needed to think about it on his own for a while. 

The room erupted into motion and noise as people stood and started talking all together, and with a start, Dan realized the meeting was over. He’d been zoned out the whole time, even though it had only felt like minutes. 

“Where do you wanna go now?” Phil asked as they stood together and headed for the doors. “Lake?”

“More secluded,” Dan said. Phil smirked at him.

“Showers?”

Oh, he had never even thought of that. It would be empty this time of day, too hot and humid. Slick skin, and steamed walls and—

Nick. 

Nick stopped in front them, wearing a wide smile with his hands tucked into his pockets. He glanced at Phil, but ultimately focused on Dan. “Hey. You guys playing tomorrow night? What team are you on?”

Dan smiled back, and didn’t miss the fake one that Phil put on. He didn’t like Nick, no matter the reassurances that Dan gave him. “Yeah, we’re blue.”

“Damn, I’m red.” He shook his head. “Guess we’ll see each other on the battlefield.”

“Good luck,” Dan said and watched him leave. Phil was still tensed up beside him. “You don’t have to be so cold, ya know.”

Phil stared at him innocently. “I was perfectly civil.”

“Liar.” Dan exited the building and waited for Phil to join him outside. “He’s actually nice, if you talk to him.”

“I just don’t like the way he looks at you,” Phil conceded. “And he’s always trying to get your attention.”

“Very possessive today, are we?” Dan teased him, watching his face flush. 

“I know I sound like a jerk.”

“You don’t.” Dan reaches out and tugged at the belt loop of Phil’s jeans. “It’s kind of hot, actually.”

Phil bit his lip. “You’re hotter.”

“Prove it.”


	13. 2 -12. The Amazing Phil

"Is this really necessary?" Dan squeezed his eyes shut, letting Phil smear black paint across his face. Where he had even gotten it was a mystery, but his ambitious need to use it was a little worrying. 

"Yes," Phil said. He was in total concentration mode, his tongue poking out as he carefully drew patterns against Dan's skin with his finger. "It's an intimidation tactic. Like Vikings, or.... other people who paint their faces."

"Like five year olds on Halloween?" 

"Hey, tone down the sarcasm."

They were supposed to head down to the sports field in ten minutes for capture the flag, and Dan was only kind of nervous. He didn't think he would actually be helpful enough to his team to actually win the game, and he was mostly only doing it for Phil, but another part of him was excited to hang out with people that weren't his cabin mates. 

He wanted to have fun, and forget all the stupid drama that his life seemed to auto-generate. 

"Okay, done," Phil announced proudly, brandishing a small mirror. "What do you think?"

Honestly, he'd been expecting a lot worse. There were two black lines across both of his cheeks, and a few smaller ones around his chin and forehead. Subtle, but not silly. "Very fashion chic," he said with a smirk. 

"Valentino!" Phil said, kissing his fingertips. "Now do me."

"Wow, buy me dinner first." 

"Think we might be too late for that," Phil said, laughing as Dan shoved him.

Him and Phil were good. It was scary how good they were; in the back of his mind, Dan was always terrified that they would end up falling apart, that this was nothing but them hooking up sometimes. He wasn't too fond of putting all his heart into something and then having it ripped away. 

But Phil was like this ethereal being that made all of his doubt vanish whenever he smiled, or laughed, or kissed him. It was intoxicating. 

"How am I even supposed to do this?" Dan asked, staring down at the jar of paint warily, but before Phil could answer, the door opened and Emery walked in. 

"I'm not even gonna ask," he said, staring at them with a hundred questions in his eyes.

"Good, you don't wanna know," Phil said. 

Dan stared at the door, knowing that any second, Finn would walk in. He didn't have the guts or mind to face him right now. The anger had faded away, and now there was just this deep, unsettling sadness, knowing that one of his friends had done something like that to him. 

He wanted to forgive him. He wished he could just put it all in the past and let them be happy and nice again, and never have to face the awkwardness or the betrayal, but he knew it wouldn't happen.

And as if he'd read his mind, Emery said, "You guys know Finn is switching cabins?"

"What?" Phil said, obviously shocked. "Why?"

"Don't know, he wouldn't tell me. He didn't look too happy about it, though."

Dan stared down at his knees and didn't say anything. He knew if he did, he would have to tell them what happened, and he wasn't prepared for that yet. 

"Does that mean we're gonna have a new roommate?" Phil asked. He looked worried, like it was his fault or something. 

Emery shrugged, shoving the pile of clothes that were on his bed onto the floor. "Most likely. Hope it's not someone we hate."

"God, I hope it's not Nick," Phil muttered. Dan raised an eyebrow at him knowingly. "Did I say that out loud?"

"Okay, let's go before we're late." Dan pulled Phil off of the bed and out the door. "See you later, Em."

"Have fun."

It was starting to get dark outside, the sky turning a deep purple as the sun set. There weren't a lot of people out, but when they eventually reached the sports field, it was more crowded. 

There were four teams, and each team had about twenty people. They weren't the only ones who had painted their faces, either. It seemed like it would be a lot more competitive than Dan had been expecting. 

"Here," Phil said, picking up two blue scarves from a table in the middle. He tied one around Dan's forearm, and the other around his own head.

They joined the rest of their blue teammates, who gave them both and excited greeting before going back to what sounded like a strategy plan. Dan tuned them out, as his plan was to stay in the back and try not to mess his team up. 

He should tell Phil about Finn. It was only fair, seeing as it did involve both of them; he just didn't know what the outcome would be, and that made him anxious. 

Phil grabbing his hand made him jump, and he realized the game had started. "Ready?" Phil asked, tugging him along after their team. "We're gonna hide the flag."

The rules were simple: each team had to hide their own flag somewhere around the camp, and try to find the others. If you found a flag, you brought it back to the field. If someone from another team found you and placed a color coordinated sticker on you, than you were out of the game. First back was first place, and so on. 

They moved as stealthily as possible through the campgrounds. It was quickly getting darker, and they had flashlights, but using them was guaranteed to get them seen by other teams. It seemed they had decided to hide the flag near the pool because they reached it soon enough, heading towards the smaller shed that sat behind it.

"Okay," said Henry, the self-proclaimed leader of the group, "me and Mick are gonna stay here and guard the flag, and the rest of you split up and find the others. Try and get as many people out the game as possible." Dan nodded along with everyone else.

And that was it. Everyone split up into smaller groups and headed in different directions, staying low and quiet. Dan followed Phil down towards the lake. He didn't care too much about the game, but the hiding and the threat of other players trying to find them still made his heart race; it was a lot more intense than he'd been expecting. 

"You wanna go in the woods?" Phil asked carefully. He knew it wasn't Dan's favorite place, and it was nice that he'd asked first. Dan nodded anyways. 

"Are you trying to get me naked in the middle of a forest?" Dan joked, not that he was opposed. 

"How indecent. Do you think that little of me?" Phil asked in shock. "Only half naked."

Dan rolled his eyes and grabbed Phil's hand, pulling him towards the line of trees ahead. 

It was dark, and Dan felt his pulse jump almost as soon as they stepped into it, but Phil's hand in his was more than enough to calm him down. The silent, empty atmosphere of it all was almost pleasant, but it made Dan start thinking. 

"I have to tell you something," he said, keeping his gaze on the ground. 

"Something serious?" Phil asked. 

"Kind of." He shrugged. "I mean, it's about Finn."

"Oh. Okay."

He didn't exactly know how to say the words, since it was all a jumble of conflicting emotions that he couldn't begin to sort out, but he took a deep breath and tried. "I'm kinda the reason he's switching cabins."

Phil didn't say anything for a moment, which wasn't what he'd been expecting. After a few seconds, he said, " Did you, like, fight or something? Or you just...wanted him gone?"

"No, not like that. Well, it was kind of a fight, I guess." He sighed, frustrated that he couldn't just get to the point. "He told me that he was the one who spread those rumors. About me and you."

"Wow," Phil said. He didn't look very surprised about it. "He doesn't seem like the type."

"I know. I got mad, and shouted at him, so that's probably why he's switching. I feel guilty, though."

"Why? That's kind of a shitty thing to do to your friend."

"I know," Dan said again. "I keep telling myself that, but I never really gave him a chance to explain. Maybe there was some logical reason he told people, or maybe he just said it on accident, or—,"

"Or maybe he didn't care." Phil stopped behind a large tree, and looked over at Dan, his face serious. "But you can't take all the guilt for it. You can be angry at him. I would be. I am."

Dan nodded in agreement. "I think I wanna talk to him still. Just to hear the reason."

"You think he has a crush on you?"

Dan laughed, completely caught off guard by that suggestion. "A crush? He doesn't— why would you think he likes me?"

"I don't know, seems like the only reason he'd do something like that."

It did seem obvious, but Dan shook his head. Him and Finn were friends, nothing else. He was sure he would be able to pick up on any crush-related vibes from someone he literally lived with, but then again, maybe Finn was just good at hiding it. It didn't matter anyway, because they weren't even talking to each other. 

It was even more confusing than before, so Dan pushed it out of his mind for now, pulling Phil deeper into the woods with him. 

"Holy shit, look," Phil whispered suddenly, pointing somewhere ahead of them. Dan didn't see anything through the dark at first, but his vision focused, and few feet ahead was a red flag, hanging from one the trees. There were three red team members guarding it, forming an uneven circle to watch out for other players. "Should we go for it?"

"No way, they'll see us from any direction," Dan said quietly. "Maybe we should go find the rest of our team."

"It might be fine by the time we get back." Phil stared at the flag, biting his lip. "We could, like, run at them and grab it before they know what to do? Element of surprise?"

"I'm not a runner."

"I could do it," Phil said. "I don't know. It would be totally awesome to actually get a flag."

"Then go," Dan said, smiling and nudging him with his shoulder. "Make us win."

Phil grinned, and disappeared. They were both wearing all black, so Dan lost sight of him almost immediately. He turned his attention back to the red team, watching and anxiously waiting for Phil to make his move. It felt like forever, sitting by himself, before anything happened. 

But then there was a loud yell, and Dan laughed in disbelief as Phil jumped from behind some bushes, running full speed towards the red team who had frozen in shock (or maybe fear, it was pitch black). Phil snatched the flag from its hiding place and disappeared again into the dark. Dan, still smiling, followed him out the trees. 

"Let's go!" Phil shouted when he saw Dan, the red flag tied around his neck like a cape. "Before they catch up."

They started running again, and even though his legs started to burn and his breathing turned shallow, Dan couldn't stop laughing. "That was awesome!"

—-

They were the first back. 

The rest of the blue team came crashing onto the field, whooping and shouting their praise, giving Dan and Phil high fives as they grouped around them. 

"First place!" Henry said, his face red with excitement. "You guys are amazing, how'd you get it that fast?"

Phil stared at Dan for a moment, and winked. "Just luck, I guess."

***


End file.
